


Luminary

by malkinmalkout



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: 2011-2012 NHL Season, Action/Adventure, Aura Sight/Vision, First Time, Gen, M/M, Magical Realism, Minor Original Character(s), Mutual Pining, Russian Mythology, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 01:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 35,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11635905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malkinmalkout/pseuds/malkinmalkout
Summary: Evgeni would do anything for Sidney, such as: revealing he was magical, interrogating a cryptic old woman, going on an adventure with Ovechkin and Gonchar, and fighting an anarchist librarian.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this story was born from my insatiable need for more magical realism content. 
> 
> If you see any mistakes in grammar please point them out, this is not beta'd so any help is appreciated. For canon information I tried to be accurate but I also distorted some facts for the sake of plot. If you feel the need to correct me on folklore however go right ahead. 
> 
> Feedback is appreciated and thanks for reading!
> 
> 6/8/17 edited fic summary.

_Luminary ˈluːmɪn(ə)ri/_

  1. _a person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere._
  2. _a natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon._



_X_ 

Evgeni’s life had always been full of colour due to his Aura Vision. Even when Magnitogorsk was bland shades of white snow, coal black and steel grey he was surrounded by a rainbow of people.

His family was quite diverse in their colouring; his Mama was a dark gold, Papa a rusty orange, and his brother, Denis, an earthy green-brown. His friends and teammates tended to range from an assortment of reds and oranges, which seemed to be the norm amongst athletes, with a few rare yellows and greens.

Mama was the first to realise that Evgeni’s toddler babbling about everyone’s pretty colours was more than just an active imagination. Her open mind towards the usual came from her maternal family’s legacy of raising their children on folklore. She had continued this tradition, making sure Evgeni and his brother grew up learning about Baba Yuga tricking fools into giving away their soul, firebirds that granted fortune, and water nymphs that seduced men into a watery graves.

Evgeni treasured these mythical tales not only for the wild adventures but also for the way his Mama would orate in a reverent voice that revealed her belief that there was truth in the myths. This belief ensured that Evgeni’s family grew to consider his Vision to be just another part of his character, like his love of hockey or his nature to show stubbornness and kindness in equal measure.

In time he learnt that his family was rare in their acceptance of his differences. Others, mainly adults, were not willing to believe in magic. Instead they insisted that science was the reason as to why they could not see what Evgeni could.

One significant occasion of this happening occurred at an hockey award ceremony he was attending when he was thirteen. He remembers sitting at his coach’s table with his family because of his status as team MVP. He ended up spending most of the night conversing with an older woman whose aura was an enticing light satin indigo. Evgeni had been so full of pride about his victory that he spoke with little caution and told the woman her aura was pretty. Her gentle probing for an explanation was too much for him to resist and he ended up blabbing his secret. He can still recall her patronising smile as she dismissed his claims as childish fantasy and instead explained he had a rare disease called synaesthesia.

Her confidence in her opinion was like a slap to the face and drained all positive emotions from him in a moment. He had spent the rest of the night failing to hide his identity crisis from the concerned eyes of his parents. He did not know whether to believe this intelligent lady, who supported science like so many others, or his Mama, whose authority had always been so resolute.

His face had been a mess of tears and snot when he had finally spilt out his worries to his Mama later that night as she put him to bed. Had he really been diseased this whole time? Did he no longer have a place amongst her tales of daring knights and devious witches?

Mama had cleaned his face and in the same serene tone she told her fairy tales said: “My darling, it does not matter if your gift comes from magic or science or if strangers say it’s not real because it will continue to exist regardless. What really matters is that you are so full of potential, and that while science may seem easier to prove it will limit how; however magic will take you as far as your imagination wills it. Just know that no matter what you choose to accept I will always believe in you.”

Her words were a balm to Evgeni’s injured pride. He was struck with the realisation that of course he was magical; he had inherited it from Mama. But instead of Aura Vision her power came from wielding words to conjure emotions and bring stories to life. When he informed her of this revelation her face lit up with a loving smile and she peppered his face with kisses despite his weak protests.

“I am so proud of you Zhenechka,” she whispered sweetly as she closed the door behind her. 

That night Evgeni dreamed he was skating along side a kaleidoscope of colours at a professional ice rink as thousands of voices chanted his name in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: 4000+ words of Geno and Sid having a long overdue conversation.


	2. Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here’s my first chapter. And where the story earns its mature rating far quicker than I thought it would. The main warnings for this story are swearing and mentions of real people’s injuries, if you spot anything else that also deserves a warning please notify me. 
> 
> _X_ means scene change, while _/\\_ means line break. And look! They're both hockey sticks!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

_21st January 2012_

The car’s speed dial crept higher as Evgeni drove over another bridge, of which there were far too many in Pittsburgh. As per usual he was late and risking another speeding ticket to make up for lost time.

A dark cloud had been hanging over him for weeks now and was gaining mass with every bit of bad luck he stumbled into. Just this morning he slept in, turned his house upside down to find his missing keys, and had bumped his still sensitive knee against the door on his way out.

But in the end all these minor problems could not explain why he felt like someone had walked across his grave and decided to permanently set up camp on it. He knew something big is going to happen soon and he suspects it will involve magic. This conclusion was based on the fact he had recently developed a new skill with his Aura Vision.

He was having out-of-body experiences. Last time he had been sleeping on a roady he accidentally astral projected himself while on the bus, causing his team’s auras to go from blurry to HD. When he had reached out to brush a sleeping Dan’s nearby autumn yellow aura it had almost felt solid for a moment before the reporter suddenly jerked like he had been shocked, causing Evgeni to fall back into his physical body.

He was pretty conflicted over this power-up. While it was cool to sneak around like a ghost and tangibly interact with auras, he was also losing sleep over the question of why now? He had been attempting to astral project for years but suddenly out of nowhere it happened without him even trying. It was highly suspicious.

Evgeni finally pulled up at the Consol Energy Center. He leaned his head against the steering wheel and took deep breathes in an attempt to calm down. It would be a bad idea to come into practice with such a negative mood, especially when the team was relying on him for leadership, since Sid was still suffering from concussion symptoms. He sighed gustily at that thought.

Despite his failure to stop stressing he was still late and could not stall any longer. So he tensely heaved himself out into the cold weather and off towards the shiny building.

Just thinking about Sid caused wild emotions to stir up and down Evgeni’s body. There was worry, fondness, respect, and undeniable love. Lately his life had been split between hockey and Sid, which had caused realisations about the extent of his interest in the man.

Ordinarily he was quite good at ignoring his attraction to men because he associated romantic and sexual appeal with pale purple auras, which often belonged to steady, independent, intelligent women. This was quite the contrast to his male friends which were mainly made up of brash, competitive, athletic reds and oranges. But, as per usual, Sid was the exception.

And also currently standing like a bouncer outside the locker room enterance. Evgeni pulled up short in the hallway and sluggishly blinked at the misty silver cloud that cloaked his Captain. The unnatural splendor of the aura never failed to make his breath catch, although that could also be attributed to the crooked smile beaming in his direction.

“You’re late,” Sid chirped, arms crossed and trying to look stern despite the lingering happiness that travelled in soft waves along his aura.

“Looking good, Sid.” He didn’t even bothering to come up with an excuse as he walked further into Sid’s luminescent presence, his mood suddenly picking up.

“Flatterer.” Sid’s face softened. “But yeah, I am feeling good,” he said in a hushed voice, as if saying it too loud would jinx it.

Evgeni, on the other hand, felt like cheering at the news of Sid’s improving health. Instead he firmly squeezed the shorter man’s shoulder in solidarity and locked their eyes. “Good.”

They stared at each other for a moment before Sid’s lips twisted into a cheeky grin, “Oh, by the way you’re expected on ice in five or you’ll be skating extra suicides for every minute you’re late.” With that ultimatum he stepped aside to let the swearing Russian speed by in his hurry to change.

He ended up being six minutes late in joining the team in warm-ups, but he couldn’t bring himself to be disappointed in the extra practice as he was urged on by Sid’s honking laugh and friendly teasing the entire time.

_/\\_

After the particularly grueling practice Evgeni slumped down in his stall and began to rub his sore knee to get rid of the feeling of pins and needles shooting up his leg. In the corner of his eye he spotted Sid weaving his way through their rowdy teammates towards him. Sid’s aura was tightly pressed to his body and giving off some concerning vibes.

“Hey, good job today G,” Sid said in greeting as he pulled in close, his casual smile not giving away any deeper emotions. Evgeni smirked cockily up at him and stretched his legs out so they were resting either side of Sid’s feet. He relished in the hot heavenly pull of his muscles that always came after a good workout.

“Give you ride home?” he asked, not beating around the bush. Sid was not allowed to drive yet. Additionally, he was a bit worried about the slight strain of the silver aura that was expanding into Evgeni’s personal space. It made him want to reach out and pat it like a cat until it was languid with contentment. But that would only be a temporary respite to Sid’s main ailments.  

Sid hesitated and bit his bottom lip distractingly, “Duper actually drove me here.”

He waved his hand in dismissal, “No matter, I take you home. We go over last game together.” Sid’s aura pulsed outwards in interest, signaling Evgeni had once again gotten his way. “Meet you at car when done.”

Sid nodded in acknowledgement and wandered off to inform Duper he would be going home with Evgeni. He watched him go, heart tugging in longing. He might not be able to cure Sid with his Aura Vision, but he would still do everything possible to ensure he was happy and safe.

_X_

He watched Sid as he entered the code to open his house’s gate. Something was off about a line attached to the silver aura. He had seen a similar colour and texture being used as a tracker before. Whoever was at the other end of that line was unlikely to have a kind attitude towards Sid.

He continued to squint at Sid as the man shuffled back into the passenger seat. Sid stared right back, eyebrows and aura furrowed in confusion. Evgeni simply grunted at the unasked question and put the car back into gear, slowly making his way down the driveway.

Looks like he was going to have to subtly interrogate Sidney to see if he has recently come into contact with any suspicious folk. Or, maybe, he could astrally project without Sid noticing and try to physically break the connection.

_/\\_

A silver shroud covered most of the spacious lounge room.  Every so often it would wiggle with enthusiasm or sway in thought. He and Sid were situated right in the middle of the light-show on a leather couch watching a recording of yesterday’s game against Montreal on the flat screen TV. Sid was armed with a well-used white board, multiple markers, and his legendary playmaking ability. Evgeni was content to lean into Sid and offer both helpful and amusing commentary when prompted.

They had been at this for a couple hours and were both beginning to flag. In addition, Sid was not allowed to watch TV for too long in case he got a migraine.

“Okay we have break now,” he said slapping his Captain’s thick thigh. Sid made a noise of protest so Evgeni immediately tagged on, “Feed me, be good host.” The final statement quickly got Sid moving, hitting at his very core of Canadian politeness.

He lowly chuckled at how easy Sid was as he got up to walk with him through a lengthy hallway filled with personal photos and into the kitchen, which looked right out of a modern minimalist aesthetic catalog. This house really did not suit Sid’s personality at all.

Evgeni stuck his head into the fridge and pulled out a container, “We have Nathalie’s left-over quiche.” Sid burst into giggles at his terrible pronunciation of the egg dish.

“I see how it is. You’re plan all along was to butter me up with hockey talk and than eat all the nice food given to me so generously by Nathalie.”

“Better than chicken pasta,” he chirped back, “You buy house but maybe you still secretly live at Mario’s since they never stop feeding you.”

The silver aura rippled in exasperation at the familiar teasing as Sid reached up into a metallic white cabinet for plates. Evgeni turned to watch as Sid’s jeans stretched to emphasise the curve of his glutes. It was nice to see Sid was managing to keep in shape, although he bet that even if Sid didn’t work out for years he would still have a huge ass. It had that eternal feeling to it.

The kitchen began to permeate with the salty smell of fried eggs as lunch was heated up. While they waited they filled the time with carefree chatter about team antics, cute things Duper’s kids had done, and house maintenance problems.

Since Sid was in such a good mood Evgeni decided to start inquiring about the strange connection that he had seen attached to Sid’s aura. It was no longer visible, showing that whoever was at the other end of the line was no longer close by. “You meet anyone new while team on roadie?”

“Hmmm.” Sid hummed absently as he checked on the quiche in the oven. His aura however completely gave away his true feelings as it shrank in on itself.

Well shit. Not only did this confirm his worst fears but now he also felt guilty for ruining the relaxed atmosphere.

As Sid stood back up Evgeni could not help but reach out to soothe a hand down the slope of Sid’s spine until it was gently resting on his lower-back. He felt Sid slightly lean backwards into his hold, but far more interestingly the contained silver aura suddenly flooded out and started to wash up in swirls against Evgeni like waves crashing into a rock.

Oh. He had already known that Sid was often content and candid in his presence, especially over the last year as they spent so much time together while on injured reserve. But such an intense reaction showed the extent of Sid’s trust in Evgeni. This realization further strengthened his resolve to fix whatever was bothering Sid.

“Please tell truth.” To lessen the sting of the demand he started to rhythmically rub his thumb on the curve of Sid’s spine. Sid’s aura swirled faster.

“How come you can always see right through me?” Sid breathed and shifted to face Evgeni more, causing his hand to be repositioned on Sid’s generous hip. “Now would be a good time to tell me you’re secretly a mind reader,” he said in an attempt to lighten the tension that had fallen upon the kitchen.

Sid’s silver presence hovered anxiously before Evgeni took the bait. “Think of number between one and ten,” he said playing along and stepping out of the other man’s personal space. Sid and his aura seemed to deflate in relief. Evgeni could not tell if it was because he was no longer invading Sid’s personal bubble or if Sid thought he was off the hook. But he wasn’t letting Sid off that easily. There was more at stake here, such as the likelihood of this being a magical problem.

He let himself fall back into a less stressful conversation about their families as they served up lunch. Apparently Taylor was still on a shutout streak, making that three in a row. And Evgeni relished in comparing his Papa’s recent failures at using a computer with Sid’s own technological blunders.

After they both finished eating the delicious quiche and had settled into a game of pool in the rec room he decided to risk asking about the mysterious person again. “Think you tell me about scary person you met now.”

At the request Sid’s aura, which had been lounging on the pool table like a Roman senator waiting to be hand fed grapes, gained a judgmental sprawl. “I guess you’re too stubborn to let this go, eh?” Sid sighed, continuing to line up his shot with narrowed his eyes. Evgeni huffed. Sid was one to talk.

After Sid completely missed sinking a purple ball Evgeni slunk over to where he was leaning on the table and hip-checked him out of the way. He leaned over and easily shot the same ball into the left-hand corner hole. He turned his attention back to Sid, trying to hide his smugness.

Sid gave him an unimpressed look before he continued the conversation, “It’s just weird okay, I don’t know why I can’t just-” Sid frustratingly cut himself off. Evgeni reached out to firmly squeezed Sid’s bicep, wordlessly offering reassurance. “Okay,” Sid finally relented. “But we should do this in my study.”

Evgeni raised an eyebrow, “This because you losing?”

“No!” he lied.

_/\\_

Evgeni was beginning to feel a bit like the Mad Hatter with all the room changing, but if it was necessary for Sid to feel comfortable enough to confide in him he would gladly traverse around the entire large manor. Besides Sid’s study had a more intimate feeling to it, giving him the excuse to situate himself back into Sid’s personal space on a beige love seat. He draped his arm along the back of the sofa and waited patiently for Sid to start talking.

“I was feeling pretty good a few days ago so I went for a walk while incognito. And I ended up on the same street as that creepy doll bakery you like and I saw this arts and crafts shop which had Late Victorian style architecture. This style was actually really popular in the 1840s...” Sid trailed on, explaining in detail about the history of Victorian architecture.

Despite it being off topic Evgeni was quite content listening to Sid’s history ramblings, firm in the knowledge that he was in love with a complete nerd.

“...So I went in to get Kuni a new baby blanket for Zach, who I told you ruined the old one. And there was this old woman and she somehow knew who I was and then she started spouting off things about dreams and magic and babies, and I didn’t know what to say in case I offended her-”

Evgeni felt a cold shiver go down his spine as he realised he might know who Sid was talking about.

“- but then she said she could use magic to cure my concussion!” Sid’s disbelief was matched by his aura’s distressed twitching.

Evgeni’s heart stopped. He hadn’t realised that was even an option! Intense guilt washed over him as Sid continued to mutter about the disturbing experience. He’d been so confident that he could care for Sid by himself and keep his friend shielded from the magical world that he might have actually hurt him in the long run.

“Are you okay?” Sid interrupted his dark thoughts. “I didn’t mean to make you worry, she was probably confused. It isn’t a big deal,” he attempted to shrug it all off, however his aura gave him away as it continued to sharply jerk.

“Sid…” Evgeni struggled for words. This could be the only chance they had to let Sid play hockey again. What was more important, Sid’s possible rejection of magic or his health?

The answer was obvious.

“Sid, I know her. She tell truth,” he said, putting as much sincerity as possible into his voice. He tried to hide his trembling hands as Sid’s aura started to sway with caution, probably deciding on whether Evgeni was making a mean joke. “Not joking Sid. Please-” _believe me_ , his voice broke before he could finish the plea.

“Explain.”

Under Sid’s laser stare he quickly scrambled to do so, accent becoming heavy in his haste. “Her name Maya Gadjin, everyone call her Granny. She like the boss of neutral territory for magic people in America,” his throat clicked as he stopped himself from saying ‘like me’. “Don’t know why she reveal this to you. It big secret.”

“If it’s such a big secret then how come you know it?” Sid questioned.

Fuck. Sid was way too perceptive. “Promise not be mad…” he said, giving his best sad dopey look. Sid’s steady stare softened and he nodded in agreement. “I’m grow up with magic. Have magic power.” There. He said it.

“What is it?” Sid was obviously trying his best to keep an open-mind.

It was just like that time when he was thirteen, Evgeni was unable to stop himself from confessing everything to this beautiful soul in front of him. “Is called Aura Vision. Can see auras, like souls. Every colour match main character, like pink for fun and popular people like Flower. It pretty and suit him. And can tell emotions too, sometimes, like from way they move. Like sharp is bad and smooth is good but, ah, can be hard to understand. Can see lines connecting people, like strong relationships, like parents, best friends, couples. But have to be close by to each other-”

“Woah slow down, that’s a lot,” Sid interrupted. “I don’t think I’ve heard you say this much outside of an interview or in Russian.” Sid offered him a consolidating smile and his aura began to cover Evgeni again.

He shrugged his tense shoulders, “Just want to prove truth.”

“Wait,” Sid’s aura suddenly started to give little twitches of panic, “Is this why you can read me so well? Because you can tell everything I’m feeling?”

Of course Sid would pick that up as well. “Not on purpose,” Evgeni tried to defend himself, “You very predictable without aura anyway. And I’m not get right every time.”

“I guess…” Sid ran his tongue along his top lip in thought, “Can you show me? I mean, can I see your aura? It’s only fair.” His aura lost a bit of its nervousness and started to probe at Evgeni like it always did when Sid wanted something.

“Sorry. Not see my own aura or know how to show,” he said patting the disappointed man’s shoulder. “But I can make myself ghost and touch aura.”

Sid made a noise of interest. “Like astral projection? Cool, let's do that... But will I be alright?”

“Would never hurt you.” He murmured distractedly, his eyes shut in concentration, making him almost miss Sid’s quite “Oh.”

It took a few suspenseful minutes before Evgeni found himself staring down at his slumped body which was being held up by a suprised Sid. But that titillating sight was nothing compared to overwhelming presence of the potent silver aura that enraptured his vision. He has never seen it this defined before. He reverently reached out to touch the dazzling soul, feeling like he was back on the ice after game seven against the Red Wings and being handed the Stanley Cup.

The aura rippled under his touch, swirling energetically to meet him. It was like coming home. All his fear, doubt, anger, and jealousy were nothing compared to this overwhelming feeling of acceptance. He had never felt anything so profound in his life. Distantly he realised he was holding his breath.

“Geno!” Sid keened.

Evgeni jumped in shock and broke the connection. Breathing hard he shakily tumbled back into his body. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by a panting Sid who looked even more flustered than that time he was propositioned for an orgy.

“У тебя всё в порядке?” Evgeni slurred, and in a daze he reached out to brush his hand on a warm red tinged cheek. “Ты самый красивый.” The cheek somehow became even redder, what a lovely trick.

“What I don’t understand please get off me I need to go to the bathroom okay be right back.” The quickly babbled sentence caused Evgeni’s head to spin even more. The next thing he knew he was rudely deposited off Sid’s lap and watching him escape out the door from his position on the floor.

Evgeni laid there stunned for a moment before suddenly realising he was hard enough to pound nails. He hoped that wasn’t the reason for Sid’s hasty departure. Sid should not fear his dick. His dick might be big but it would do anything for Sid. His dick was telling him that he was high off that sweet silver aura. You know, the good shit.

Still in a stupor he reached down to adjust himself, just to get rid of some of the pressure straining at his zipper. He moaned at the feeling and palmed his erection harder, trying to chase the pleasure.

He slumped in defeat as his over-the-clothing groping failed to live up the feeling of touching Sid’s aura. It was nice to confirm that Sid has not only ruined his expectations for other people but now also his own hands. The stars seemed to be aligning on him eventually breaking down and begging Sid for sex.

And now he was imagining doing just that while on his knees.

Speaking of knees Evgeni’s were starting to ache from his splayed position on the flood, the pain waking him up to the reality that he had been shamelessly masterbating in Sid’s study. The same room which Sid could return to at any moment and find him flying at full mast. There would be no explaining the situation in a way that would allow Evgeni to leave with his full dignity.

Evgeni decided that there was only one way he was going to solve this problem. He got up and went to the bathroom.

_/\\_

After he had finished in the bathroom Evgeni went in search of Sid. He ended up literally bumping into him on his way out of his master bedroom.

For a moment they stared at each other with wide eyes

Sid’s manners won out over his awkwardness, “I’m sorry.”

“No need Sid, I’m should apologize instead. Shouldn’t have tested new power on you. Never have that big reaction before,” he said nervously. He wondered if should also apologize for any inappropriate bodily actions too. “Are you alright?”

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is _fine_.” Sid emphasised, waving his hand to dismiss the unpleasant atmosphere. “I shouldn’t have pressured you into doing it. I’m sorry for not believing you at first. Consider me convinced,” he ended with a shy smile.

“Is okay, magic can be hard to believe at first,” he replied reassuringly, heart lightening to know Sid now believed him. “You sure you okay? Run off fast,” he could not help but ask again.

Sid started to blush before muttering, “I was just, um, feeling a bit unwell.”

Evgeni choked, “I hurt your head!?”

“No!” Sid yelped, “You didn’t do anything wrong. My head is fine.”

He wasn’t so sure that Sid was really okay as the man’s silver aura was pulled tight to his body, not allowing Evgeni to get a good read of Sid’s true emotions. “Maybe you should rest.”

“I mean, it’s almost time for a nap, but we still have so much to talk about,” he protested, running his hand anxiously through his curly hair. “I need to tell you about my family, I think that at least one of them might have been magical too.”

“Your family have magic?” Evgeni leaned forward in curiously, however this action allowed him to notice that Sid’s aura was drooping with exhaustion. “I’m very interest in family magic but you very tired. Talk later when you not half asleep.”

“Are you cheating by looking at my aura?” Sid frowned before his jaw stretched wide in a massive yawn. “Okay.” Sid nodded and captured Evgeni’s eyes to make sure he was listening, “Game plan: you come over in the morning, we’ll discuss our ties to magic, and finally we will work out what to do about the, um, Granny situation. But we only do the last one after the game, I don’t want you distracted.”

Evgeni tried and failed to hold back a bestotled smile as he reached out to squeeze Sid’s dangling wrist. “Yes Captain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> У тебя всё в порядке? = Are you okay?  
> Ты самый красивый = you are the most beautiful [man]. 
> 
> Not all the updates will be this long… I hope. Thanks for reading, please leave a kudos and review if you liked it :) I appreciate all the support.
> 
> Next up: Geno and Sid have breakfast. Ovi turns up. An old woman is interrogated.


	3. Granny's Shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a pretty fun chapter to write. Updates will probably continue to be every few days or so since I'm feeling motivated rn.

_22nd January 2012_

After he’d let himself into Sid’s with his spare key Evgeni followed the delicious smell of eggs and bacon to the kitchen. Sid was facing away from the doorway at the stove loaded with sizzling pans. He was wearing sweatpants and an old Minor League Rimouski Oceanic shirt that stretched in a distracting fashion across his broad shoulders. His aura was spread out and swaying in a neutral manner.

Evgeni let himself stare a little before his stomach pulled his gaze towards the stacked plate of bacon on the bench. He hunched over to avoid being seen and snuck closer, keeping a careful eye on Sid. He reached out to take a strip of greasy goodness.

“Have a glass of water before you eat anything,” Sid said, not even turning around.

“Does League know you have eyes on back of head?” he asked rhetorically and complied with Sid’s order. After he had finished his drink he draped himself against Sid’s back and watched him cook over his shoulder while munching on some Canadian bacon. “Still think magic real?”

He relished in the vibrations of Sid’s chuckling. “Of course, I still believe you. Last night I actually ended up calling Auntie Jude about her mother, my Graunty Faith. She’s the one I mentioned yesterday who I think has - I mean - _had_ magic,” sorrow tinged his silver aura. Evgeni leaned even closer, causing the aura to swirl a little.

“Had superpowers like me?”

Sid shrugged, “Maybe… I don’t really know. But she was really big on fairy tales and superstitions-”

“It genetic.”

“- And had a lot of stuff that seemed really ‘witchy’ like crystals and runes and tiny animal bones. Also she gave me this,” Sid elbowed his way out from under Evgeni and turned while tugging his necklace out of his shirt. He presented a small silver charm that Evgeni had never noticed before, which was very strange considering he always payed attention to Sid. It was circular with a decorative border and had five inverted triangles inside of each other.

“Illuminati?” He jokingly asked.

“I hate Flower for teaching you that. Not every triangle means there is a conspiracy group,” Sid said in exasperation. “So, what do you really think?”

Even though he didn't need to Evgeni leaned in closer, ducking his head to get a better view. “Hmmm,” he paused dramatically, “Think eggs burning.”

Sid swore and scrambled to take the pan off the heat. “They’re still good. And stop teasing G,” he said as he started serving them both up.

“Yes seen something similar for protection with triangles. But not know what circle mean.” His maternal uncle had been pretty good at runes and sigils, although his never radiated with the type of contained power coming off Sid’s charm. Evgeni had always been better at destroying runes than making them, so he decided not to touch it despite how tempting it was.

“Oh. But what was she protecting me from?” His silver cloak gave off conflicting movements, affectionate waves interspersed with sharp spikes of worry.

“Probably from other magical people.” Because it sure didn’t protect Sid from physical danger.

Sid hummed thoughtfully as he grabbed their plates and herded him over to the dining room, placing Evgeni’s food to the right of the head of the table where Sid always sat. Evgeni thanked him and started to eat with gusto.

“If it was meant to protect me from magical people then how come that Granny woman seemed to know so much about me?”

“You little bit famous,” he said, gaining a laugh from Sid. “Hear she very powerful, enough to keep peace in North America magic community.” At least that’s what he remembers hearing from Sasha, who was much more involved in the community than him. “We go visit after game?”

Sid pursed his lips with determination. “Yeah. After the game.”

_X_

He ran down the hallway and right into Sid’s arms, sweeping the shorter man off his feet. Neither of the grinning men seemed to notice the copious amount of sweat that clung to Evgeni as they yelled in victory. Sid was bursting full of praise for his three point night and was especially impressed with the final goal.

After both of them settled down Sid was swept away by Mario to hide from the ravenous media. Evgeni also tried to leave as quickly as possible, however he was stopped by Jen who demanded he sit for an interview and would not relent no matter how much he resisted.

He was finally free from the crowded locker room thirty minutes later; interview finished, freshly showered and changed, and teammates requests to go drinking denied.

“Have fun on your date!” Shouted Lazy after him, knowing full well that he was going to hang out with Sid.

Unfortunately when he finally reached the back exit he was pulled aside by a grinning Alexander Ovechkin and his malevolent looming golden aura. “Hello there. Terrible night tonight,” he greeted in Russian. “I think this night can only be improved by a significant amount of alcohol. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Evgeni blanched. He had completely forgotten that he was meeting up with Sasha after the game, just like they normally did after versing each other's team.

“My little bunny why do you look so guilty? Come, confess your sins to me over a glass of your favourite brandy.”

“I can’t tonight Sasha. I’m busy,” he protested, knowing better than to go into detail.

However Sasha was like a shark in bloody water, his aura began to grow until it had swallowed Evgeni entirely, making him peer out through a misty golden film. “But that’s impossible, nothing is more important for you than Russian Bonding Night. Except perhaps one thing..." Sasha said suspensefully, “I’m sure Sidney won’t mind me joining you on your date.”

“No… And it’s not a date.”

But Sasha insisted, “We shall see what he says. I spy with my little eye your pretty Captain.” Evgeni turned to follow Sasha’s gaze, also spotting Sid watching them from his space in the Lemieux family huddle. “Crosby!” the unstoppable man yelled, not allowing any chance of escape.

He watched solemnly as Sid waved goodbye to the Lemieux gang and wearily made his way over to the Russians. Evgeni could tell by his aura he was already thinking the worst.

“Don’t you dare even try to use your Manipulation Power on him,” he harshly whispered to Sasha.

The other man huffed, “Stop calling it that crude name, it’s called Persuasion. And don’t worry it never works on him anyway. He’s even more stubborn than you,” he laughed and dodged Evgeni’s retaliating elbow, “I’ll just use my natural charm.”

But he swore to remain vigilant of Sasha’s aura just in case it made any suspicious moves to engulf Sid in its sphere of influence.

“Hi G. Hello Ovechkin,” Sid awkwardly waved in greeting. His aura was pressed tightly into his body, showing how little he enjoyed this situation. Evgeni tied to convey that it was a trap through body language, but Sid seemed too distracted by Sasha.

“No need to be so formal, we are friends yes? Call me Alex,” Sasha switched to English and opened his arms like a mighty king greeting his subjects. Sid stared at him blankly. Nethertheless Sasha persisted, “And since we are such great friends Zhanya kindly offered for us all to go out together.”

Evgeni squawked in protest as Sid’s aura slightly spiked. “No! No! Not true. He lie! I’m tell him to leave.”

“Ovech-”

“Please I told you to call me Alex.”

“Um, Alex I really don’t think-” Sid started but was quickly cut off again.

“No need to be shy, I know you’ve missed me.” Sasha continued in that vein for a few more minutes, easily rebuffing all of Sid polite attempts at rejection.

Evgeni just watched the auras battle; Sid’s silver was an impenetrable fortress against Sasha’s sly prodding gold. He realised that there would be no stopping Sasha, especially while on their time limit. “Sid we need to go soon or Granny’s Shop close for night,” he said interrupting the bickering captains.

Sasha quickly caught the slip, “Granny’s Shop?” His eye widened in amazement. “So you have finally stopped hiding? Your Captain knows?”

“Wait he knows about magic too?”

He decided to answer Sid’s question first, “Yes Sasha had magic power too. Can control people with words, like evil villain. But he calls it Persuasion.”

“Don’t worry Crosby, I only use it for good!” Evgeni did not dismiss this claim, because it was actually quite true. Sasha’s mother had ensured that the man would use his power responsibly or else there would be _Consequences_.

“So Crosby is one of us now. I’m the perfect person to introduce him to Granny, she loves me. Let's go!” Sasha didn’t give them time to refuse again as he strolled off to his car with a bounce in his step.

“Maybe we go tomorrow,” he said to a frustrated Sid.

Sid shook his head, “No I need answers. I don’t want to wait any longer.” He wondered if that last bit was referring to questions he had about magic or the possibility of being healthy again.

Evgeni patted Sid on the back and steered him to his own car. “Whatever you want.”

_X_

As the three hockey players entered the shop Evgeni was disappointed to note that the tracker tie he had previously seen attached Sid’s aura was not visible, disproving his hopes that it was Maya’s spell.

The inside of the shop was significantly more welcoming and large than the austere Victorian exterior implied. It smelt citrusy and held a cosy warmth untouched by the winter chill outside. Evgeni was reminded of his babushka’s house and felt like he would be getting his cheeks pinched at any moment. It was also similar to his uncle’s home in that there were runes and sigils scattered on every wall, lamp, painting, and woolen item. No inanimate object was spared from magical influence.

He reached out towards an especially interesting scarf that was sewn with a rune that had something to do with invisibility.

“Please don’t touch that, I rather like my runes functional thank-you,” an airy Australian accented voice drawled from within the spacious building.

Evgeni pulled his hand back like a child caught sneaking sweets before dinner. “Sorry,” he called back, ignoring Sasha’s snickering and Sid’s giggling.

A kind looking dark skinned woman with no visible aura appeared out behind a striped purple, pink and white flag that had been hung from the roof. “Oh that’s alright, it’s not your fault runes tend to explode when you touch them. It’s because of that wizard you spilt mushy peas on as baby.” Maya ‘Granny’ Gadjin was mysterious, unreadable, and all knowing. Evgeni respected her just as much as he feared her.   

Sasha, however, obviously didn’t feel the same as he boisterously greeted her with a backbreaking hug, “Granny! How are you? Looking as radiant as always. Is this a new dress? I love it, very retro-chic.” Sid’s aura flared a little, probably worried that Sasha was going to break her with his boundless enthusiasm.

But she easily caught Sasha in a big bear hug. “It’s good to see you on this path Sasha, I was worried you would be stolen away by the puckwidgies.” She pulled away, keeping a firm grip of the taller man’s biceps, “You stay close to these boys, they’re going to need your brand of humour to endure against the riders’ tasks.”

“Of course. I’ll do that,” Sasha nodded dutifully at the advice despite the fact his golden aura was giving off a vibe of intense confusion.

The woman turned to Sid next, who stood up straighter under the attention. She struck with snake-like reflexes and unexpectedly pulled him into a very stiff hug as well. “I’m sorry about last week, I got a bit confused with the timeline… You don’t have little Petey yet right? Such a cute baby, I knitted him some booties just in case.”

Sid stuttered out a no, his aura began to match Sasha’s in its bewilderment.

Maya sighed in disappointment, “Ah oh well it’ll happen eventually; except in circumstances of untimely death and world destruction and all that jazz.” She waved her hand as if dismissing a nasty smell.

Evgeni decided to get down to business because it looked like Sid and Sasha were out of commission while they attempted to decipher Maya’s cryptic statements. “Granny we need help please. You say can heal Sid, is possible?”

“Sure but you’ve already used your favour from me to deal with that unpleasantness with Mothman; and speaking of how is Sergei, has he recovered from the ordeal?”

“That happen years ago, Sergei fine now,” Evgeni said, before sadly concluding, “He was traded to Ottawa.”

Maya reached up and patted his cheek with a soft wrinkled hand, “Not to worry, some bonds are unbreakable even by distance, especially ones of found family.” He nodded slightly, taking her words to heart.

“Um, what was that about the favour thing?” Sidney asked, pulling him back to reality.

Maya smiled at Sid and gestured for them to follow her, “Let's go somewhere more private for this.” She led them deeper and deeper into the shop, it was like an unending maze except instead of bushes it had tapestries and blankets for walls. They finally came to a stop in a small secluded reading nook with two antique high backed chairs and a massive rainbow beanbag.

Predictably Sasha raced to the nearest chair while Maya took the other. Leaving the beanbag for him and Sid, which shifted and sunk them down together until there was no space between their sides. Evgeni made a few expected complains to Sasha in Russian despite how much he enjoyed the feeling of Sid being pressed so close.

“Now,” said Maya clapping her hands in attention, “each magical being who steps through my doors, be that they have an unmarked soul, is allowed a single free favour. Any favours after that will mean you owe me, so pick wisely.”

“Unmarked soul? What does that mean?” Sid inquired, his aura swaying as he sorted through this new information.

Evgeni piped up to answer, “I’m know this one. It mean knowingly commit evil action, like murder, rape, abuse. It makes rips in aura.” He had been heartbroken as a child when he realised how terribly common disfigured souls were. But he could not bring himself to regret his loss of ignorance as his Vision had saved him and his loved ones from these unsavoury types many times.

“These people can only heal these rips if they meaningfully learn from their mistake and amend themselves to those they hurt. Which happens rarely since some things are unforgivable,” Maya continued on, filling out the details that Evgeni had missed.

“Okay, thanks. And, um, do you do all these favours by yourself?”

“Yeah nah, as a Clever Woman my power involves interpreting truth from Dreams, so while it does offer me some degree of omnipresence I’m not all powerful. I can’t do everything by myself, so I often end up calling someone who owes me and whose powers are more suited to the request.”

“Like a team,” Sid mumbled mostly to himself, before asking another question, “I mean no offence by this, but what’s stopping them from misusing their powers, like if they’re don’t like who they’re doing the favour for?”

This time Sasha answered first, “No one would dare do that in Granny’s Shop, everyone respects her neutrality.” Evgeni thinks it also has to do with the rumours that those who defied Maya were completely erased from existence. Not that these rumours could be easily proven, but his gut feeling told him to be cautious nevertheless.  

“No one will be in any danger while I’m the moderator, I promise,” she assured Sid with a kind smile. Her words managed to appease him, as his aura began to swing less roughly. However Evgeni was still going to make sure he is there for the exchange, he was less inclined to trust a stranger with Sid’s safety.

“So someone can really get rid of my concussion?” Sid asked hesitantly. It was understandable he was still having doubts, as he had been hurt for so long and dozens of doctors have warned Sid of the difficulty of brain injuries. Evgeni wrapped his arm around Sid’s waist and pulled him even closer in a show of support.  

“Yes I do have someone in mind who can help you with that. But you should be warned that I have Dreamt of a danger that hides in your lifeline. Are you sure you don’t want to save your favour for later.”

Sid looked conflicted on which statement to address first. “Can you tell me more about this threat?”

Maya’s eyes grew distant as she spoke, “I have only Dreamt of danger, not of its form or when it will happen. I know it will test the limits of you and your One. There is no avoiding this journey, all paths lead there.”

Evgeni spoke up in protest, “But he have protection charm! It keep him safe all time why not for this?”

Maya shook her head in dismissal and continued to stare blankly at a book shelf. “Potential is as infinite as belief. The blood magic of the charm is as strong as Sidney’s great aunt believed it needed to be. But even a water tank in the desert will overflow if there is a flood. I Dream this and so it is true.”

He grit his teeth in frustration as a headache bloomed behind his eyes. Sid was also struggling to contain his discontent at the warnings.

Luckily Sasha was there to get right to the heart of the matter. “Pfft who cares, I will come save you from whatever this threat is. No big deal,” he boasted with confidence, shooting a bright smile in the direction of the disconcerted men. “And it is probably going to be years from now. You are needed on the ice _now_. Especially since competition these days is so lax.”

Sasha laughed as the last statement made Evgeni growl in Russian, “Kicked your ass on ice tonight bitch.”

But Sasha’s ranting proved to be effective, as Sid’s aura grew composed and expanded in confidence. “I want to be healed please,” Sid affirmed finally catching Maya’s eyes.

The aged woman smiled as if Sid had passed an unspoken test. “Of course.” She reached down into her cleavage and pulled out a mobile, ignoring the sputtering of the men in the room. She tapped at the phone's keyboard for a moment before finally talking, “Mori will be available to heal you on the 8th next month. They are coming all the way from Japan so please be patient.”

Him and Sid nodded in acknowledgement, hearts light in the knowledge that soon Sid will be well and able to play again.

“Good. I’m closing up now so you all need to skedaddle. But make sure to come back nice and early on the 8th. And if you have any trouble before then shop hours are from 9am to 5pm every weekday and saturday. Sunday is girls night, no boys allowed!” She finished he last sentence with a cackle and swaggered off without another word.

Evgeni joyfully flung himself onto Sid, who burst into a honking laugh and clung back just as tightly. He broke away and placed his hands on the sides of Sid face, thumbs millimeters from touching Sid’s broad smile. Evgeni deliriously grinned back.

Sasha cleared his throat, “As touching as you both are - and I do mean that literally - I was wondering if either of you know the way out.”

The good mood somewhat broke as he and Sid looked at one another in silent question before turning to shrug in unison at Sasha.

Sasha rolled his eyes at their unhelpfulness. “Well then,” he said with false cheer, “I guess we live here now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t worry they made it out… eventually. 
> 
> A lot of my OC’s are going to be female because fantasy stories (and the NHL) never have enough of either (yes I’m including trans!women too). Just assume that no one is straight either. Maya Gadjin is an Australian Aboriginal as a side-note to my own Indigenous ethnicity, with her last name referencing my own tribe. Her first name comes from the Kiwari language meaning ‘home or house’. 
> 
> Up next: All Stars Break with Sergei. Healing has no gender. Actual hockey playing.


	4. Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sergei didn’t make it onto the 2012 All Stars roster, but since it was held in Ottawa Geno probably hung out with him. Just assume that all dialogue between G and Sergei is in Russian. Whenever Geno gets super articulate he's speaking in Russian.  
> In real life Sid came back on March 15th but here it’s implied he comes back earlier. 
> 
> Just a heads up this is a pretty emotional chapter, which I hope I balanced out enough with my stupid jokes about Mothman and The Cuddle Room.

_26th January 2012_

The Ottawa Senator’s Canadian Tire Centre could be distantly seen out the window from where Evgeni and Sergei were seated in the friendly family restaurant. Their plates had been cleared but they were both still nursing on a couple of beers. Evgeni’s gaze continued to wander from outside to waiting staff to the jerseys hung over the bar and finally settled on Sergei’s contained midnight blue aura as he waited for the man to process his tale of all the recent magical drama.

Across the table Sergei continued his unwavering stare a bit longer before he finally spoke, “You need a babysitter.” Evgeni squawked in offence, he thought he managed just fine on his own. Even if it was sometimes lonely not having Sergei and his family within walking distance. “Why do you get into trouble when I’m not there to save you?”

He knew the question was rhetorical but he replied anyway, “I still get into trouble when you’re around, unless you’ve already forgotten about what happened with Mothman.” He smirked as Sergei’s aura spiked at the memory.

“Why do you have to keep bringing that up? Just let me repress that horrific memory and live my life in peace,” Sergei said dramatically, causing Evgeni to laugh boisterously.

“At least Maya saved you by activating your powers, which balances out the suffering. Gotten into any fights lately?” He asked, knowing full well the answer.

“It's been a decade and I plan to keep that record going. So I guess this Peacekeeping ability does come in handy sometimes.” Sergei took a swig of his beer and changed the topic back, “I’m surprised Sid reacted so well to you having magic, I mean you two are really close and it was a big secret to keep from him,” Evgeni pouted as the accusation, but Sergei remained immune, “Don’t give me that look, you should have trusted him. God knows you would have let me continue to live in ignorance if it wasn’t for that whole Mothman debacle.”

“That’s not true,” he said, despite knowing otherwise. “It’s just hard to tell people after everything that’s happened. And I did tell Sasha!”

Sergei snorted into his beer, “Alex doesn’t count. He probably knows every magical being in Russian and within 500 miles of Washington; he already knew about you long before you said anything. And stop avoiding the topic.”

He sighed and confessed that when the shock had finally worn off Sid’s aura had grown heavy with guilt. Of course Sid hadn’t outright said he was distraught. No, instead he had been completely supportive, asking lots of questions and always dedicating his full attention to listen to Evgeni’s answers. But no matter how genuine Sid’s interest was the guilt continued to cling to the silver aura. This in turn made Evgeni feel like a giant asshole.

Despite their effort to act like everything was normal they were both stuck in a never ending spiral of guilt. Causing their interactions to become more and more stilled and awkward, filled with empty silences as neither was willing to discuss the elephant in the room.

He had been hoping that a little distance would bring some clarity about how to end this emotional deadlock. All Stars Break couldn’t have come at a better time.

Sergei reached out to pat his hand and said with a no nonsense tone, “Fucking apologize you idiot.” Evgeni opened his mouth to say he already did but Sergei continued before he could, “I mean say it properly. Tell him _why_ you lied. Tell him about all your shitty friends who abandoned you. Tell him about the magical threats made against your family. _Communicate_. Use your words for once - your relationship is more important than your fear of sounding stupid or vulnerable.”

Evgeni reluctantly nodded at the advice, knowing that future conversation was going to be hell. But Sergei was right, Sid was worth it.

“I think you should let Sid tell Duper about magic too-”

“What? Why?” Evgeni interrupted in shock.

“ _because_ Sid needs someone to talk to who isn’t the cause of the problem,” Duper shot a quelling look at him. “Think about how you felt hiding your magic, because now Sid’s carrying some of that burden too. Getting Duper involved is the best option. You can trust him to take care of Sid.”

Evgeni grudgingly agreed despite any lingering doubts.

All Stars Break was no longer looking like a fun getaway with the knowledge that he would have to call Sid when he got back to the hotel.

Sergei’s aura expanded to cover him, making him feel as though all his problems were no longer immediate and world ended, “Zhenya you don’t have to do all this now. Just tell Sid to talk to Duper and have your big heart-to-heart when you get home to Pittsburgh, this isn’t the kind of thing you talk about over the phone.”

“Okay,” Evgeni said quietly, embracing the feeling of peace that always came with Sergei’s ability.

“And remember your life doesn’t completely stop just because you’re having relationship problems. You’re allowed to enjoy yourself. Just because Sidney’s guilty doesn’t mean you have to be as well, he wouldn’t want you carrying his burden like that.”

He smiled shakily at Sergei, incredibly grateful to be friends with such a wise and generous man. “Thanks,” he sniffed, tears of gratitude lingering in the corner of his eyes.

Sergei smiled back, “Anytime. You’re family after all.” Evgeni gave a wet laugh and thanked him again.

They spent the next hour catching up on hockey and family. Sergei’s soothing aura surrounded Evgeni the entire time.

_X_

_8th February 2012_

The atmosphere of the car was heavy with anticipation as Evgeni drove Sid to Granny’s Shop for his healing session. Sid was completely checked out in the passenger seat, judging by his swaying aura’s he was probably going over plays to stay calm.

Evgeni didn’t mind the quietness, firm in the knowledge that was no bad blood between them anymore. Over a week ago they had finally addressed the guilt which had been contaminating their relationship. Through the urging of Sergei and Duper they had been able to finally put into words why they had felt so terrible.

Sid had explained in his awkwardly sincere way that he felt bad that Evgeni had thought he needed to hide such a crucial part of himself from Sid. He believed that his own failures as a friend had caused Evgeni to not trust Sid enough to confide in. It had also been a blow to Sid’s perception of his role as Captain, which was already being threatened by media speculation that his C would be taken away.

Evgeni quickly assured Sid that all this self-loathing wasn’t necessary. Just like Sergei advised he explained that he had lost friends from sharing his secret, that they had ridiculed him for believing himself magical. He also said that there was an underlying danger being part of the magical community - something which his family had experienced many times. Evgeni had believed that getting Sid also involved would lead danger to him as well.

They had talked for hours, ending up emotionally exhausted but comforted by the knowledge that they now understood each other's greatest fears. And while these fears didn’t completely disappear at least they could now be dealt with together, as a team.

With that thought firmly in his mind he pulled up near Granny’s Shop and looked over to Sid, who was nervously fiddling with his seatbelt. “No worry Sid, will be with you whole time. Not let anything bad happen,” he swore.

Sid quirked his lips at him and nodded, conveying his trust in Evgeni. He felt an intense moment of deja vu; Sid had been giving him that same fleeting smile every time they did their ritual before walking on the ice together. So he reached out and gripped Sid’s neck before tapping their foreheads gently together.

When he opened his eyes and pulled away he breathlessly realised that Sid’s aura had spilt out of the car and into the street. Silver mini-tornadoes swirled from the waving ends of the massive misty cloud. When Evgeni turned his eyes back to Sid the other man was opening his door like nothing was out of the ordinary.

Well. Okay then. He got out of the car and joined Sid, still distracted by his swirling aura, which began to shrink into itself when they entered the building.

The shop was exactly the same as last time, welcoming and warm, except now it featured a Japanese individual with a short and stout stature, ‘like a teapot’ thought Evgeni humously. The stranger’s aura was a controlled deep sea green, a colour which he had rarely seen before. This had to be the person who is going to heal Sid.

The healer bowed slightly and gave them both a friendly smile before introducing themself in a carefree manner, “Hey, I’m Kodama Mori, er, I mean Mori Kodama, but you can just call me Mori. You’re the one I’m healing right?” they addressed the last question to Sid, who stumbled out confirmation, taken back at the unprofessional manners.

“Nice to meet you, um… sir?” said Sid, struggling to guess the healer's gender.

Mori shrugged, “No need for that, I’m non-binary so I go by they and them or just use my name. But if you want be professional you can call me Doctor.” Sid became flustered at the mishap and profusely apologized, despite Mori’s assurances that it was fine and happened all the time, no big deal, please chill.

Evgeni decided to save Sid from himself. “Nice to meet. Thank you for doing this,” he said to the doctor. “Have question if not mind about your powers, is alright for you to explain?”

It seemed to take a bit for Mori to translate what he said, maybe because of the accent, before they gained a more serious disposition. “Yeah sure, Obaasan said you guys could be trusted but I just want to ask you to keep this on the down low, okay?” After he and Sid nodded they continued, “So like my last name says I’m part kodama, a Japanese forest spirit, so I inherited the ability to heal using special family techniques. But not on a big scale or else I’d be living it up in a mansion right now haha.”

He had no real knowledge of kodama mythology, but forest spirits were normally good spirited as long as you didn’t hurt any of their loved ones (which often included trees). Plus Mori’s aura was healthy and expressive, so it was unlikely they were going to do anything malicious.

“Nice to see you’re all getting along.” They all jumped in surprise at Maya’s sudden appearance. She innocently smiled at them, and since he couldn’t see her aura he was unable to tell if she scared them on purpose. “Shall we?” She motioned and started to walk off into the shop.

Even though Evgeni tried to memorise the path just in case he and Sid had to find their own way out again he was soon overwhelmed by all the twists and turns. He gave up with a huff and turned to Sid who seemed just as lost. They of shared a look of mutual understanding before they all pulled up at a curtained wall.

As he was about to voice his confusion Maya pulled the curtains aside to reveal a large room absolutely overflowing with pillows. There were so many that none of the floor was visible. He resisted the powerful urge to belly flop into the nearest pillow pile. Sid’s aura rolled in amusement as he whispered, “Don’t even try it.” Sid had plenty of previous experiences of what would happen if Evgeni had the same face around leaf piles.

He gave Sid a cheeky smile and whispered back, “We make spare room just like this.”

“No.” Sid said. But judging by his still amused aura Evgeni knew he could wheedle him down to the idea eventually.

“Boys if you could join us,” Maya beckoned them to follow her into the room. They dutifully waddled their way through the endless mass of pillows. Somehow everyone managed to stay upright except Evgeni who tripped a least a dozen times, every time falling like a tree cut at its base and landing with a airy thump. The room was soon filled with Sid’s giggling at his theatrics.

They were both still laughing when Mori pulled to a stop and breathed in deeply, “Yeah, here feels good.” The doctor turned to Sid, who abruptly stopped giggling and became still. “Oh geez. Relax, it’s going to be a real chill healing session. You’ve got strong energy, which I’ll be harnessing to speed up your recovery. But be warned you’ll probably feel tired after, depending on how much damage you’ve got.”

Sid nodded in understanding, “Okay what do you need me to do?”

Mori threw themself down on a nearby cushion with a fump and gestured for Sid to do the same. “Okay first you need to hold this,” they reached into the pockets of their camo pants and pulled out a tiny sack, “It’s got some seeds from my forest in it and acts as a focus item for me.”

Evgeni moved in closer to get a better look but Maya pulled him back with a shockingly firm grip, “Best stay out of the way for this, Mori needs to stay focused.” He reluctantly moved a metre back and tried not to fret as he slowly sunk down into a bunch of pillows that felt like they were made out of quicksand.

Mori started to talk again, “Okay you also need to remove whatever charm you have on, because it could cause some pretty bad interference.”

Sid did this with obvious reluctance and placed the precious necklace onto a pillow in front of him.

Mori nodded in thanks. “Now I’m going to touch your head, and while I do please try to think positive thoughts like-,” they suddenly lowered their voice, causing Evgeni to struggle to hear what was being said. He could only watch as Sid’s aura steadily spread out and began to swirl like it had earlier in the car. Evgeni unwittingly felt an onslaught of jealousy that Mori had managed to get such an intense reaction from Sid.

His brooding was disturbed by a stinging slap to his arm, causing him to gape at a scowling Maya, “No negativity allowed in The Cuddle Room.” He wasn’t sure what to react to first, the fact she had seen right through him like she could read auras too or that this pillow infested place was called _The Cuddle Room_.

He was pulled from his musing but the sudden movement of silver in his peripheral vision. Evgeni boggled at the sight of Sid’s aura being sucked into his head like a drain, gradually disappearing until it was barely visible. He was just about to demand Mori to stop when the doctor released Sid’s head.

“Sid!” He called at him as he listed sideways into a toddler sized pillow. When Evgeni finally struggled his way over he realised that Sid was in a deep sleep, face slack with exhaustion and mouth hanging slightly open.

“I told you he’d be tired,” Mori shrugged. “But we were successful! I don’t think I’ve ever done such an easy healing, he has such an amazing aura. We won’t even have to do any extra sessions, which would be normal for this type of injury.”

“He’s really fixed. No more concussion?”

Maya patted him in the exact place she had slapped him before, “Yes, he’s concussion is completely gone.” She bowed at Mori, “Thank-you for coming.”

The doctor bowed deeply back, “Anytime Obaasan.”

Evgeni kneeled down beside the sleeping Sid and gently brushed his curls off his forehead. He looked up at Mori, “Thank-you. He- This means so much- I...” his voice choked with emotion, making him unable to say a proper thank-you.

But Mori seemed to understand, “You are most welcome. Just let him rest for a week before he goes back to normal life,” they advised. “I wish you both the best, but I have to return to my own husband now.” With one last bow to him and Granny they walked out of the room before Evgeni even realised the misunderstanding.

Sid mumbled in his sleep, drawing his attention once again. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of Sid drooling on his pillow.

He would have gladly stood vigil over Sid until he awoke, but Maya drew him out of his fixation, “As much as I’d love to let you stay here I’m a very busy woman, so if you want to make it out of the shop without getting lost again we’re going to have to leave now.”

Evgeni hesitated, not wanting to wake up Sid but also knowing that it was near impossible to escape the shop without Maya’s assistance.

As if reading his thoughts Maya casually added, “You could carry him. I’ll help him onto your back.”

He laughed at her suggestion, knowing how embarrassed Sid would be to hear that Evgeni gave him a piggyback ride with the help of an old woman. He grinned up her, matching her cheeky smile, “Yes please.”

_X_

_7th April 2012_

He watched as Sid slid a sweet sauce right to Tanger’s stick and went right in an attempt to draw the attention of as many Flyers as possible. Reading the familiar play Evgeni crossed the blue line and yelled “Pass!” from behind Tanger. The defenceman jumped and dropped the puck back as asked. He spotted two enemy defencemen coming up the middle and a forward trying to trip him from the left. Despite the incoming threats he remained completely calm as he pulled back his stick and made the shot.

Everyone in the stadium screamed in a mixture of delight and outrage as Evgeni roared in victory while doing his celly. He turned to give Paulie a fistbump, who then slung an arm over his shoulder and yelled, “You fucking showoff!”

But all his attention was fixed on Sid who came in flying and lept into his open arms, causing them to slip and bend dangerously. “Fifty goals!” His captain breathed right into his ear, ecstatic with pride and delight.

“Fifty!” He shouted back, grinning and breathless with happiness as he was surrounded by his team and their jubilant auras for a brief moment until game play was continued.

The on ice group headed back to the benches. Sid maneuvered the team so that he could slide in nicely beside him. His Captain took the opportunity to lean in and start to babble about the play, what a good job Evgeni did, that this clutch goal was just what they needed, how they’re going to shut down the Flyers next period.

He let the familiar dialogue flow over him, words sometimes getting lost to the loud cheering of the crowd. It was the sort of thing that he hadn’t realised he would miss until it was gone. But Sid was back for good this time and full to bursting with chatter.

The buzzer signalled the end to the second period, diverting Sid’s attention back to the whole team as they made their way down the hall and into the locker room.

Everyone was in lively spirits, secure in their two point lead and celebrating Evgeni’s fiftieth season goal. He watched as Sid tried to keep them focused, reminding them this was the last game of the season so they should finish with a big win, especially against the Flyers. But hypocritically his silver aura remained wispy and swirling, which was quite the contrast to his normal game time aura that was made up of steady sharp swaying and inward movements unless he was celebrating.

Every time he got to watch Sid on the ice or bossing around his teammates he felt so grateful for magic. It had granted Sid a second chance at playing the game he loved. It given back the team their missing leader, whose return heralded an eleven game winning streak. And it had brought the two of them closer than ever.

He was pulled back to reality when Sid clapped a hand on top of his helmet. As Evgeni looked up at him from his stall he was reminded of that moment months ago when he had offered to drive Sid home, never knowing it would be the day he admitted one of his greatest secrets to the man.

“You seem lost in thought,” Sid pointed out, reading him with ease, “Just because you’re a fifty goal scorer doesn’t mean you get to sit back and sleep for the third period.”

He laughed, feeling as if joy was bubbling out of his every pore. “So mean Sid. Such a mean captain, I’m tell team you bully me and we all mutiny,” he chirped back, not even attempting to act seriously hurt as his smile remained permanently stuck on his face.

Sid giggled, “Please, everyone knows you’re the biggest baddest bully here, Mr. Russian Bear. They’ll never believe you.”

The bickering in between periods was another thing he had missed so much. In his nostalgic mood he couldn’t help but blurt out, “Good you back.”

Sid’s eyes widened slightly before they became wrinkled by his beaming smile, “I’ve been back for a while G,” he reminded him, “But yeah, it’s good to be back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sergei was spitting straight up wisdom, I can’t believe I made him the Russian Yoda of emotionally constipated hockey players. His Peacekeeping power is mildly like the imperius curse in it’s calming effect, except people don’t feel compelled to follow Sergei’s orders like with Ovi. Both of their powers can be overcome through good ol’ fashioned stubbornness. 
> 
> Please leave kudos and review if you liked it, even one word responses fuel my motivation to write. Thanks :)
> 
> Up next: Sid goes MIA. Geno harasses a respected elder citizen. Bonus Ovi and Gonch.


	5. MIA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a prelude to the action/adventure part of the plot. I had the Capitals lose in the first round so Ovi would be free to join G on his adventure, no offence meant to any Caps fans, I know you suffer enough in the playoffs as is.  
> Also just a reminder that pretty much every convo between Geno, Gonchar, and Ovi is in Russian, which is why they are speaking so fluently.  
> Just a warning that I describe symptoms of a panic attack in the first part.

_ 29th April 2012 _

Evgeni woke up feeling like he had gotten his head bashed by a trashcan lid in a dumpster alley last night. All his experiences with hangovers of this magnitude warned him not to open his eyes unless wanted his headache to get even worse. So he revelled in the consolidation that he didn’t need to get out of bed until noon.

Just he was about to doze off again he felt a disturbance from within his very soul. All of a sudden he knew with utmost certainty that something was wrong with Sid.

He leapt up in bed, hungover forgotten, and began to wildly pat at his sheets for his mobile. He unlocked it and attempted to find his most recent texts to Sid, however after ten minutes of searching he was unsuccessful. He tried to ignore his rising panic, telling himself that maybe he accidentally drunk deleted the message thread. He fumbled in Sid’s number manually and texted “head hurts (((((( come over make me food”, as a reply he only received a notification that the number was disconnected. 

He swore and put in the number again, but this time he pressed ‘call’. There was only a few seconds of dial tone before an automated woman informed him that “the number you selected is no longer in service”. Evgeni restrained himself from throwing his mobile across the room. 

Sid had been fine last night, they had talked for a few hours about their plans for the summer, how they felt about their team's playoff elimination, and if Sasha and Sergei were coping with their own losses. Sid had ended the call after telling him not to get too drunk while Skyping Sasha and with a promise to come by in the afternoon. There should be absolutely no reason why he couldn’t contact Sid. 

Nausea overwhelm him for a moment, making him taste bitter bile in the back of his throat. He bit at his chapped lips, it wasn’t a good idea to give himself so far over to anxiety that he became physically incapacitated.

Evgeni decided that waking himself up with a greasy breakfast and bottle of gatorade would help bring some clarity to this horrible morning, so he hauled himself out of bed and headed to the kitchen. 

He tensely made him way through his hallway, still clutching his mobile like a lifeline, and was once again struck by the feeling that something wasn’t right. It only took him a moment to notice the pictures on his walls were wrong. He stared uncomprehendingly at the most recent team photo; There in the middle, right beside Mario, was himself smiling at the camera with the C proudly displayed on his jersey. Sid was nowhere in sight. 

Either he was still asleep or this was all a very elaborate prank. But the cold sweat gathering at the back of his neck told him that his instincts believed otherwise. How could this happen? Just hours ago his home was scattered with pictures of Sid, but now they too were gone. 

He diverted his route to the kitchen to go grab his laptop from the lounge room instead. His hands shook as he made one last search, typing “Sidney Crosby” into Google. In a second all further hope of denial was crushed as he read “No results found”. 

There was no evidence in sight that Sidney Crosby had ever existed. 

Evgeni called Sergei. He closed his eyes to keep the growing nausea at bay as he listened to the dial tone, his harsh breathing sounded impossibly loud in the empty room. He had never felt more alone. 

“Hello? Zhenya? It’s eight in the fucking morning. If you’re calling to complain about your hangover don’t bother. I warned you not to drink with Alex when he’s coming off a playoff elimination. I swear you both need constant supervision. I’ll have you know I have my own children to look after, and they’re much less trouble than you two… Zhenya? Why are you being so quiet?”

Evgeni couldn’t help but make a pathetic sob of relief at hearing Sergei’s familiar scolding. He gathered himself together and spoke with a voice so raw he almost didn’t recognise it as his own, “Sergei something is very wrong.”

The concerned demands for an explanation on the other end of the phone forced him to speak past the lump in his throat. “Sid’s gone I can’t find him anywhere not even the internet I don’t know what’s going on,” he blurted out all at once.

“I don’t understand. You need to calm down, breathe with me,” Sergei said in a even tone. If he had been physically present his aura would have been all over Evgeni. He did as told, shuddery breaths gradually matching Sergei’s steady ones. Once he was sure that Evgeni was no longer panicking he asked, “Now please tell me who this Sid is and why they have you in such a state.”

The question did nothing to assure him he wasn’t going crazy. Was he the only one who remembered Sid? “Sidney! Sidney Crosby! He’s captain of the Pens, the best hockey player in the world, my best friend. Please- I’m telling the truth, I swear on my magic,” he said, desperately hoping that Sergei would trust him. 

“I’m sorry I still don’t know him. But I believe you, so just stay calm okay,” Sergei reassured him. “Do you know why I can’t remember your Sidney?”

When he paused long enough to think about this question the answer became quite obvious: Maya Gadjin. The rumours about her being able to make anyone disappear were true; And she had done it to Sid. Healing Sid must have been part of her evil plan to steal him away from Evgeni. He clenched his hand in rage, he never should have trusted her. He explained all this to Sergei, voice full of acid.

“Hey now, let's be rational. You can’t just assume she’s the one that did it. From what you told me that isn’t her power and she seems pretty genuine,” Sergei appealed, acting as the devil's advocate to Evgeni’s accusations against the old woman. 

“I know she’s got something to do with it, she’s like the Godfather of magic. I’m going to go get Sid back from her,” he declared, unwilling to listen any longer.

Sergei quickly yelped out “Wait!” before he could hang up. “Maybe you should check Sidney’s house first. Does he live nearby? Just wait for me, okay. If you give me some time I can come over to yours and we can sort this out together,  _ rationally _ .” But Evgeni didn’t want to hear it, he had made up his mind already.

“No.” And with that he ended the call and raced to get dressed, ignoring his ringing mobile. In his gut he knew that Sid wouldn’t be home and that to get answers he would need to interrogate Maya. He didn’t care if she had the entirety of the North America magical community on her side, he would fight every single one of them to bring Sid back safe and sound.

_X_

Evgeni roughly flung aside another hanging blanket, his anger at an all time high. Once again he was lost in Granny’s Shop. It almost felt like the shop was actively working against him, as if it sensed his volatile intentions towards its owner. He pushed through a striped flag that he had definitely seen before. 

His arms flew up in irritation as he finally snapped and yelled into the shop, “Just give me back Sid!” The demand seemed to get absorbed by the brightly coloured hangings with complete indifference. 

All at once it felt like he’d been completely drained of his anger, making him slump onto the floor next to a pile of fuzzy wool mittens. He placed a hand over his heart, trying to cover the hole inside his chest. It was like a vital part of himself had gone missing. Frustrated tears began to collect in the corner of his eyes. “Please, I need him,” he whispered.

With that plea the Shop began to feel more welcoming again, warmth seeped out from the walls and the sweet citrusy smell returned. But Evgeni was far too deep into despair to really notice. Doubt had began to grow as questions corrupted his mind: What if Sergei was right and Maya hadn’t done this, making his enemy an unknown? What if there was no getting Sid back? What if Sid was  _ dead _ ? 

He shook his head in an attempt to physically cast out the terrible ideas. When he finally looked up he realised why the curtains further down looked so familiar: they were the entrance to The Cuddle Room! He shot to his feet, rushing his way forward and dramatically pushing the curtains aside. Just as he’d hoped Maya was knitting on a giant cushion right in the middle of the room.

“Maya! Where is Sid?” he shouted and scrambled his way over to her as quickly as he could manage, no longer taking the time to laugh at his own falls.

The aged woman stared at his struggling form and just as he was about to reach her she said with surprising conviction, “Fuck.” 

Evgeni tripped again and levered himself up to gape at her. She looked back at him, folds grouping around her downturned mouth like a hand pulling a sheet. Her knitting needles were perfectly still. He abruptly noticed that her eyes held the same blankness as when they were in the reading room. “It is not me you have fault with Zhanya, but another.” 

“Who!?” he demanded, rigidly settling himself onto a patched pillow in front of her and trying to catch her eyes.

But she refused to meet his gaze, even as she explained, “Your One has been taken by Vasilisa Popova, the daughter of Baba Yuga and a venerated priest. She holds an ability to erase karma and an ideology that allows her to use it in whatever way she wishes.”

Evgeni made a growl of distress and confusion. The woman sounded familiar, there had always been whispers of her existence within Russian magical circles. But the gossip had been very nebulous about her ability, only that it was incredible. “Karma? Like bad luck? Explain properly,” he asked forcefully, too distressed to be polite.

Maya didn’t seem to care he was being rude. “She destroys all memory, record, and existence of those chosen for her army or to be cleansed. You needn't worry about your One, if his soul is unmarked he will live and serve her in comfort.”

“Serve? Like slave?” 

“To overthrow the government and all its unjust institutions of course,” Maya replied like it was obvious and seemed to come out of her trance. She started to speedily knit her scarf again, as if nothing had happened.

“Of course,” Evgeni parroted sarcastically. “So crazy anarchist lady erase Sid’s existence to get him to destroy Russian state.” He could have never predicted this, but that’s magic for you, acting in ways beyond rational understanding. “He won’t do it! Will escape,” he says with faith. Sid may have some critics about his country's government, but he wasn’t a revolutionary. 

Maya shook her head sadly, pity reflecting in her eyes. “V is a master manipulator. She’s probably had her right hand watching him for a while now, so she’ll know all his weaknesses and won’t hesitate to use them against him to ensure his compliance.”

He couldn’t help but imagine Sid’s reaction to him or his loved ones being threatened, which was the most likely plan for a woman of such low morals. While Sid could be predictable when going about normal life, it was hard to assess what he would do in that sort of horrific situation. Evgeni’s teeth hurt from how hard he was grinding them together. Sid didn’t deserve this, especially after all the hardships this year. 

“Why Sid? Why take him?” he asked.

“I believe I may have accidentally missed the fact he has an ability due to his great-aunts blood protection,” Maya admitted, looking guilty. “I thought he simply had a strong potential for  sigils or runes like normal magic users.”

Evgeni gawked at her, all his beliefs about how flawless Maya was had been completely challenged in the last ten minutes. It seemed like even she sometimes didn’t understand what her cryptic words meant. 

“Close your mouth, you look ridiculous. I told you before, I’m not omnipresent,” she said defensively. “I can’t fully remember your Sidney but I Dream that his true gifts were hidden from me for a reason. But if you look at the evidence I’d say he’s a Resonate.”

“What!? But they are myth,” he yelped in denial. However now that she had suggested it he could see the evidence, as Evgeni’s powers had only started to evolve once he arrived in Pittsburgh and Mori had commented on how easy it had been to heal Sid. Plus Sid has always been special, why not add another skill to his massive list of achievements. 

Maya raised an eyebrow, seeing he had quickly changed his mind. “Sidney’s ability to amplify other people’s magical powers will be a significant boost to V’s revolutionary force. Especially when he masters it.”

It was astonishing to realise how easily Popova could get away with kidnapping one of the most recognized faces of hockey and then use him to overthrow the Russian government. He shoved his hands through his hair, as if the action would shake a plan right from his brain. He perked up as he made a realisation, “But she make mistake when destroy everyone’s memories! I’m still remember!”

Maya smiled in pride at his deduction, “Yes. She didn’t account for the strength of the bond between you two. Not even her power can destroy it. Which is why  _ you _ need to go and retrieve him yourself.” 

He narrowed his eyes at her, “You not go with me? But you know evil lady!” Maya shook her head and her knitting needles became unsteady. Evgeni frowned at her, “I’m ask for favour then.” 

The Aboriginal woman shot him an unimpressed look, “I  _ can’t _ .”

“Why! I’m deserve to know! She took him from me.” Evgeni pressured her, unrelenting against Maya’s resistance. 

Maya pinched her brow and finally gave in, mumbling under her breath “Save me from the stubbornness of Russians.” She gathered herself and started to rhythmically knit again, “V may do things you or I don’t agree with, but that doesn’t stop her from contributing to the survival of our community and traditional magic. She doesn’t just use her power for questionable things, she has also saved so many magical people,  _ children _ , too. Not everything is black and white...” she hesitated, as if she was debating over revealing more.

Evgeni just stared at her, showing he was willing to listen.

His focus convinced her to continue, “I’ve known V for longer than you’ve been alive mate. She might make me feel like punching her in the face whenever she does something stupid, which is a lot, but that doesn’t stop me from loving her. And we promised not to get personally involved in each other’s messes any more. Our community is stronger when we don’t fall into a war of mutual destruction.” 

Evgeni slumped in defeat, “So you not help me at all?” This task to rescue Sid felt even more impossible.

Maya smirked, “Nah, I’m still mad at her for cancelling Girl’s Night on of me last week. She said she had a ‘magical emergency’ but that’s complete bullshit. I just know she was actually buying the newest book release for that stupid series she’s reading that-” she cut herself off, flustered. “Um, nevermind, the details aren’t important.” 

“Of course,” he said, feeling more comfortable teasing her now he had seen her so uncomposed. It was nice to see she was also subject to human frivolities. 

“Don’t be a smartass,” she tsked at him. Evgeni was beginning to understand that she swore a lot more when the topic concerned her Vasilisa. “I’ll help you a little. First you will find her somewhere near Kizhi Island in Russia. I can’t tell you exactly where, but you should know that she’s a fan of irony. And when you go home to pack I need you to stay put for a bit while I send something that will be vital for your retrieval of Sidney.” 

Maybe this wasn’t such a hopeless quest after all. He thanked her gratefully.

Maya kindly smiled at him and stood before helping him to his feet with surprising strength. “No worries. Now go get your man.” 

_X_

It had been hours. He was ready to leave: he’d packed his bags, called his parents to inform them he was taking a magical detour before coming home, texted his agent and Sergei he was leaving, and booked the earliest flight to Petrozavodsk, since Kizhi Island could only be accessed by hydrofoil. He needed to leave in fifteen minutes to catch his plane and yet he was still waiting on Granny’s gift. 

He growled and started to restlessly pace, going over his plan of attack. First he’d take the hydrofoil ride to the Island. Then find Vasilisa Popova’s evil fortress and force her to take back deleting Sid. Next he was going to sweep Sid into his arms and passionately kiss him. Finally he would take Sid home to his parents, where he’d be completely safe within their wards. 

He quite liked this plan, especially the part where after he kisses Sid they both declare their mutual love and promise to play beautiful hockey together forever. He paused his pacing to imagine the very romantic moment, however he was interrupted by his doorbell ringing along with loud banging. As he made his way over to his house entrance in the back of his mind he thought the enthusiastic knocking sounded familiar.

Just as he reached to open the door he head a voice sing out “Zhenya!”, confirming his hypothesis. He swung open the door to reveal a grinning Sasha and disappointed Sergei. “What?” He stared at them, jaw hanging open. 

“Beep beep,” Sasha sounded out and shoved past, wearing a bulging backpack, “Out of the way. Where’s the aspirin? My head is killing me. You’re very lucky I love you so much or I’d still be sleeping.” He then wandered off into the house without a by-your-leave.

“It’s midday,” Sergei helpfully called out after him as he moved in past the shellshocked Evgeni. He placed his own bag against the wall and turned to point an accusing finger at Evgeni, causing him to jump back, “And you! You are in trouble! I don’t care if this Sidney guy is your Captain or your whatever don’t ever go off to get yourself killed without me. What were you thinking? That I’d be satisfied with one measly text ‘ring you when Sid’s safe’,” Sergei mimicked Evgeni’s earlier text with a high dramatic voice. His aura was spiked in irritation and worry.

“I don’t sound like that,” he objected before realising he had never finished his earlier question, “What are you doing here?”

“Granny called us and told us you needed our help,” said Sergei casually, as if leaving right after a playoff loss to go on a crazy magical adventure with an ex-teammate was completely normal. Sergei took him by the arm and led him back to the kitchen, where Sasha was chugging gatorade.

“But what about your families? Your teams? There’s no way you can suddenly just up and leave,” he addressed the last bit specifically at Sasha, who still had press releases and final end-of-season Captain duties like those Sid always had to do. 

Sasha waved his hand like it was no big deal, “Not to worry, I left Nicky to sort out everything. He loves doing that sort of stuff, it gives him leverage for later.” 

Evgeni grinned, “He’s going to kill you one day.” 

He suddenly felt infinitely better than ten minutes ago, it was pretty hard to brood when Sasha was feeling playful. His good mood could also be credited to Sergei’s protective dark blue aura currently covering him. 

“Granny also told me to give you this and said to use it with kindness,” Sergei held out the red scarf Granny had been knitting earlier. Evgeni took it and noticed that Sasha and Sergei were respectively wearing black and white scarves as well. He shrugged and put his on too, it was best not to question Maya. 

He looked at the clock to see if they still had time to stand around and chat when he realised something, “How did you both get here so quickly. It took me hours to get ready.” He knew that plane rides from their cities only took a few hours, but to also prepare goodbyes and luggage seemed unrealistic.

“We came through the back entrance of Granny’s Shop,” Sasha said simply, as if that explained everything. His smug golden aura told Evgeni that he was being vague on purpose. 

Sergei sighed, “Children please, no fighting.” He sat down at the opposite side of the kitchen counter from Sasha while Evgeni went to sit to his right. “Maya called me, although I have no idea where she got my number, and gave me the address to her shop. This was after she’d explained that you were about to leave on a fool’s quest to get back your Sidney.” 

Sasha picked up the story before Sergei could start lecturing again, “Granny revealed that all her shops throughout North America are all connected to each other by magic. It’s like they exist out of time and space! I was right! The reason her shop is so big is because it’s full of secrets.”

Evgeni huffed, amused at the Mean Girls quote. He pondered over this new information, manipulating space-time was a rare and much sorted after ability in the magical community. To think Maya had someone on her side who could do it was amazing. She really was the Godfather of the Magical Community, everyone seemed to work for her or owed her a favour. Just like he now did for her sending Sasha and Sergei.

He looked at the two men, both incredibly important friends. “Are you sure you want to come with me?” He asked them, “It will be dangerous. The woman who took Sid is very powerful and could erase you too.” 

Sasha humphed in offence, “We’re practically brothers as magical kin and Russian players, I will always help family. Beside I have heard so much about this Vasilisa Popova from my Russian magical contacts, it will be good to finally meet the legend behind all the myths. But most importantly this adventure needs a dashing hero like me to keep you all safe.” He posed theatrically with his hands on his hips, ruining his earlier touching statement. Evgeni could still tell by the man’s steely looming aura that he was dedicated to coming along. 

“I said you needed a babysitter, just the two of you together would be a disaster.  _ I’ll _ be the one keeping everyone safe,” Sergei said with confidence. He reached out and squeezed Evgeni’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. We will get your Sidney back and all come home completely fine. We’ve both got your back and are not going anywhere without you.” 

Sasha yelled in agreement, toasting his bottle of gatorade into the air. Evgeni couldn’t help but laugh, no longer feeling so alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe G was 110% ready to throw down against an old lady, no matter how spry she is. Maya would have won of course, pinching youths’ cheeks and knitting gives her a finger dexterity that G would be no match against.
> 
> Up next: Sid’s perspective. Kidnapping by an ex-librarian and her minion. Adorable little killing machines.


	6. School of Magical Misfits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all in Sidney’s perspective, which is why it’s so freaking long. Also the great thing about writing random children is that I can make them say whatever I want.  
> Warnings in the endnotes.

_29th April 2012_

Sweat dripped down his nose and onto the floor as he pulled up from his series of squats. Sidney wiped his red face with the towel around his neck and attempted to regulate his heart rate back to normal by going through his cool-down stretches.

It had been a productive morning so far: a six am wake up, finishing his packing for summer, texting Geno good morning, ringing his family to update his summer schedule, and he had just finished his morning exercises.

His muscles strained as he bent down to clutch his ankles. He loved working out like this, going at his own pace and alone in the surprisingly empty gym. Only the receptionist was at the building entrance, discreet enough not to harass him for an autograph or, even worse, talk about his team’s playoff elimination in the first round.

While he was normally happy to talk hockey 24/7 he’d had enough of explaining the loss to media and strangers on the street. Is was much more productive going over mistakes with his team, like Geno. The Russian had always been a great sounding board to bounce ideas off, willing to patiently listen and absorb all the information Sidney offloaded on him. It wasn’t just that though. Last night they not only talked about training for next year, but they also ended up reassuring one another that the Pens playoff loss wasn’t their complete fault as leaders.

Geno got Sidney on an intellectual _and_ emotional level.

Retrospectively Sidney was astounded about how much his relationship with Geno had progressed over the past year with every shared secret and moment of vulnerability. He knew he could be very picky in his choice of close friends, usually preferring extroverted French-Canadians and older mentors. But he’d never had a relationship quite like the one he has with Geno, who he probably thought about almost as much as hockey.

Before he could, once again, lose himself in thought about his feelings for Geno he pulled up from his stretch and noticed a woman watching him. Everything about her screamed elegance, from her sharp cheekbones to her conservative business suit. Sidney wondered if she was a Flyer’s fan since she was giving him the same look he had often seen from opposing players right before they illegally checked him.

“Excuse me, can I help you ma'am?” He asked her politely, trying to cut through the intimidating atmosphere.

“Yes. You can,” she said cooly in a Scandinavian accent and walked towards him, her heeled boots echoing with every step. She stood in front of him and somehow make her very short height feel like six feet tall. He couldn’t help but widen his stance as if preparing to go into a faceoff. The slight upwards twitch of her lips told him she had noticed his defensive reaction.

He cleared his throat and gave her his best media smile, “What can I do for you then?”

“I am making contact for an interested party Mr Crosby,” she said vaguely. “They have noted your interactions with Madam Gadjin and would like to offer you the opportunity to work for them instead.”

Stalling for time Sidney licked his lips, leaving the taste of his salty sweat in his mouth to match his growing bitterness at this situation. Was this what Geno was talking about when he warned him about magical threats?

None of his real feelings showed on his face as he maintained his polite facade, “Thank-you for the offer ma’am but I am currently under contract employment which I cannot leave at the moment.” He decided to not correct her on the assumption that Granny was his employer, hoping that the powerful connection might stop her from trying to hurt him for the rejection.

“I know about your partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins. You should also know that anyone that receives a favour from Ms Gadjin, free or not, unofficially come under her jurisdiction and protection. Which is unfortunate for you as she is not fulfilling this responsibility with the dedication it deserves.”

Her knowledge of his deal with Granny caused a cold shiver to travel down his spine. He wished Geno or any of his teammates were here, Sidney always felt a million times more confident in their presence. “I believe you are mistaken. Granny is taking care of me and has offered me support when it’s required.” It was the truth, but not the truth she wanted. He had no way of guaranteeing that Granny would be willing to save him from whatever this mysterious woman had planned.

She gave him a look of superiority, like she was a ref scolding him for thinking he knew more about the rules than her. “I’m afraid that just isn’t true. She has failed to provide training for your growing powers, which have become quite the liability.”

Granny had never said he had an actual magical ability like her or Geno. He was unable to hide his astonishment at this bombshell, his breath left him in a gasp as if she had elbowed him in the stomach. Her eyes glinted at her victory of destroying his composure. Sidney grit his jaw at her arrogance, he had gone up against so many like her, who thought a few ugly words would make him slip up and reveal all his deepest secrets to the word.

No matter how much he wanted to know about his supposed power he couldn’t risk giving into her manipulations. Instead Sidney took a deep breath and decided to adopt a different mask. He channelled his best Charming Captain Canada persona. “Ma’am, I’m sorry but I didn’t quite catch your name earlier. Or the name of your boss,” he said in an aw-shucks tone and gave her a friendly crooked smile.

He could tell he had thrown her off by the slight change, as her shoulders tightened and her fingers twitched as if she wanted to clench them into a fist. He caught her slips easily; After all these years of athletics reading body language often came easier to him then French.

“I am Taika,” she said, not giving a last name. In his head Sidney practiced the pronunciation a few times, not wanting to get it wrong if he needed to say it out loud. “My employer is Vasilisa Popova, the world's leading authority of traditional magic and guardian of the Slavic Magical Community.”

Sidney had no idea who that was, but he still nodded with a bright grin. “Thank-you” he said airily. “Mrs Popova sounds very interesting, I think I’d like to meet her sometime.”

Taika opened her mouth to speak but Sidney kept talking as if he didn’t notice. “But I really have to go right now,” he shrugged awkwardly at her in apology. “I promised to meet up with someone. It was nice meeting you.” Not.

He made to go grab his sports bag but before he could Taika’s arm lashed out and pulled his necklace off him with a sharp yank. Sidney froze in shock before quickly recovering. He stepped farther back from her and demanded in his most authoritative voice, “Give that back. Please.” Despite his frustration he tried to keep his posture open and nonthreatening, knowing better than to act aggressive towards her in any way.

She danced back into his range and tauntingly dangled his prized necklace from her hand. “Come and get it,” she said provokingly.  

But Sidney remained rooted to the spot, unwilling to fall for her trap. Instead he kept talking in the same serious tone and radiated disappointment, “Please give me that back, it’s very important to me. Let’s act like adults here and work this out maturely.”

His last statement caused her to hiss under her breath. “Drop that superior paternal act _boy._ You think you’re better than me. Fucking typical bourgeois scum,” she said spitefully.

Sidney flinched at her accusation and tried to think of a response that wouldn’t cause her to react violently. He was just about to switch tactics by being abnormally polite again, which was the most effective against her, when he heard quiet footsteps coming from behind him.  

“Enough,” the new person ordered. He turned and couldn’t bring himself to be surprised at seeing a tall bespectacled old woman. The magical community seemed to be full of ancient matriarchs. “Stop playing around Taika, this isn’t a game.” The long faced woman pronounced the younger woman’s name perfectly, even with her strong Russian accent.

This had to be the mysterious Vasilisa Popova.

When she directed her piercing stare at him he couldn’t help but think of his Nova Scotia coach who had been the first person outside of his close family to see his full potential for hockey.

“Please excuse Taika’s behaviour Mr Crosby,” Ms Popova said and held out her hand.

Sidney automatically shook the offered appendage, which had neatly filed nails and a firm grip that was quite similar to Granny’s. “It’s fine. I should apologize too,” he turned to Taika. “I’m sorry for my rudeness.” He installed as much sincerness into the apology as possible, despite the fact she was still holding his necklace hostage.

Taika’s face softened slightly and she nodded in acceptance. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have physically provoked you like that.”

Just as Sidney was about to ask for his possession back Ms Popova started talking again.

“Now then, since that’s sorted I’d like to discuss an offer with you Mr Crosby,” Ms Popova said drawing his full attention. It was incredibly hard to read her, nothing about her body language gave away any subtle emotions. Nevertheless it was obvious that she was magically powerful and thus a massive threat, so Sidney couldn’t risk pissing her off like he did with Taika. Meaning he would have to hold off on demanding his necklace back.

“Would it be alright if I called someone first? I have to cancel an appointment,” he said. He needed to tell Geno what was going on in case this ended up badly.

Ms Popova shook her head in denial, “Unfortunately I’m on a bit of a time limit here. So we will have to get right to it.” Sidney stomach felt heavy with dread. “Mr Crosby you are a Resonate. With this rare ability to empower magical beings you could cause the destruction of the magical world if you ended up in the wrong hands.”

While he was glad to finally put a name to his ability it was hard to believe he possessed that amount of influence to cause such a massive threat, he hoped she was exaggerating.

Ms Popova wordlessly held out a hand towards Taika who dutifully placed Sidney’s necklace in it. “This charm is no longer strong enough to hide you, therefore you must be trained to control your powers by your own volition until you are no longer a danger to everyone.”

Sidney twitched at her jab and the fact she kept bringing up how he could unknowingly hurt innocents. “I’m sorry but how long would you expect this training to last?”

“Depending on how dedicated you are to learning it can take around three to five years, the average length of getting a degree for full-time higher education,” she explained casually, like it would be a simple choice to give up so much of his time. He’d already lost a year of hockey, he wasn’t planning on willingly doing that ever again.

“Unfortunately I’m going to have to decline because I am under a contract that does not allow me to complete full-time study. As an alternative I will ask Granny for a stronger charm to ensure my power is no longer an issue. But thank-you for the offer, it was very generous of you.”

He waited to see if the two women would accept this refusal, his heart feeling like it wanted to jump out of his chest. More than ever he wished Geno was here to drape a lanky arm around Sidney and in his typical fearless and blunt way tell the women to go away.

“I’m afraid that Maya is no longer a safe option.” The elder woman face became strained as if she was taking on an incredible burden. “Sidney Crosby you must understand that I was at no point being dramatic when describing the extent of the danger you pose. People will _die_ if you continue to rebuff my offer. I refuse to let either of us live with those regrets when I have the power to stop them from ever occurring. I’m sorry it had to come to this.”

Immediately after she finished that ominous apology she lashed out and poked his forehead. Sidney was knocked backward into darkness and knew no more.

_X_

After such a traumatic event you would expect anyone to wake up thrashing and full of fear. Instead Sidney woke up slowly, cocooned in warmth and tranquility, feeling more rested than he had in years. His peaceful state of mind ensured that it took a few minutes of staring at the pointed wooden roof to realise he had no idea where he was.

Sidney tumbled out of bed with a mighty thump, his blanket now feeling like a straightjacket. He began to untangle himself from his awkward position on the floor while attempting to grasp at the fact he had probably been kidnapped. Panic began to lessen as he finally pulled free of his restrictions.

He needed to escape.

He looked around the room for any escape but was distracted by the sheer amount of books overflowing on every surface of the room. Walled bookshelves were full to bursting with lines of books reaching up to the tall ceiling.

This diversion costed him as he heard a click from behind, forcing Sidney to quickly scramble to his feet in an attempt to get into a less vulnerable position. He was unsurprised to see Ms Popova standing in the doorway when he turned around.

The stern looking woman didn’t seem very threatening in her traditional Russian dress and lavender knitted head scarf, in actuality she wouldn’t have looked out of place in one of Geno’s antique family photos. However her appearance did nothing to hide the heavy atmosphere of authority and power that filled the room, something she had managed to hide from Sidney earlier.

“Where am I?” Sidney couldn’t help the tremor in his voice as he met Ms Popova’s piercing eyes.

“You are in a building used as a boarding school of sorts for magical youths who need specialised training. Just like you some children here have abilities that can be lethal without proper control,” she answered, carefully not giving away the actual location.

“Children! There are kids here?” He yelled, unable to hide his outrage.

Ms Popova raised her hands, palms facing outwards, reminding him that she was physically defenceless, “They are not being harmed. They are all here willingky and dedicated to learning in a safe environment. You are an exception Mr Crosby, normally those with your type of power are found and trained young.”

Sidney still remained suspicious. “You have their parents’ permission?”

She crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, assessing his reactions closely. “Not all of them,” she answer and went on heedless of how tense he had become, “You should remember that not everyone is brought up in privilege. Some families are quick to persecute those who are different - even their own children. There is a reason this place is called the Safe House by the kids.” Her explanation seemed legitimate, if not morally grey, however he couldn’t be sure she wasn’t lying just to make him trust her.

Ms Popova sensed this and gave him a stern look, making him feel guilty for his wariness. This was worst than being caught lying by his mother.

“While you are here you will treat all the residents with respect. If I hear otherwise there will be consequences,” she said, the tense atmosphere became dark and poisonous for a moment, installing even more fear in Sidney.

Despite how scared he was Sidney couldn’t help but be deeply offended at her implication. “I would never hurt any of them! Only a monster would hurt a child.”

The matron grasped that the last part was a slight against her, causing her to purse her lips in annoyance.

Sidney decided to change the topic before she decided to use whatever magical ability she had on him. “Am I allowed to go home? So many people will miss me,” he asked, not even trying to be subtle about how many people will come searching for him.

“That won’t be a problem,” she said, looking away for a brief moment. She cleared her throat, as if stalling for time, before she finally explained, “You were deemed to much of a threat that you could not be left to your own devices. It was unanimously decided after significant debate that your existence would be erased as to not draw attention to the magical community if you refused to voluntarily come.”

His brain seemed to break. He didn’t understand. She had to be lying. Sidney’s inner struggles made him speechless, so he stupidly stared back at her uncomprehending.

Ms Popova looked away again. She was guilty, he suddenly realised. Innocent people normally didn’t feel guilty. Could she have actually done it? Did no one really remember him? What about his family, his team, his friends, his fans? Geno?

“It was for the best. To keep them all safe,” the woman explained, her aged voice gaining a harsh rasp. “If you had continued unheeded on the path you were going down they would have all been killed by those who would have you enslaved to their cause.”

Sidney clenched his teeth and hoped to God this was all a stupid prank. He looked to the floor and away from the woman tormenting him. He couldn’t believe that his existence had truly been erased so easily. Surely magic was too limited to achieve such a worldwide influence on everyone's memories like that.

He didn’t want to accept anything this stranger told him, no matter how powerful or scary she was.

He lifted his head to tell Ms. Popova this but she was nowhere in sight.

All the strong emotions that Sidney had experienced in only the last ten minutes caused his head to ache painfully, giving him flashbacks to his concussion. Sidney sat down on his bed and attempted to reassess this horrific situation he was trapped in.

It all seemed hopeless. If Ms. Popova was right then no was coming for him. And even if they did he could accidentally hurt them. Sidney chewed at his lips, now chapped from however long he had been without water. Even if he made it home it was likely no one would believe him or even know him.

Sidney swallowed and realised that actually wasn’t quite true. Maya Gadjin might just believe him, after all she had seen through his protection charm so surely she would be able to see he was telling the truth. And then Geno would believe him too!

A plan began to form in Sidney’s mind. He wouldn’t let Ms Popova win. Sidney had lived most of his life overcoming obstacles and creating plans to defeat his enemies on the rink, and while these were the greatest odds he had ever faced Sidney refused to just lie down and accept his fate. He was going home, no matter the risks.

_/\\_

When Sidney finally ventured his way out of the room he was astonished to realise just how high up he was as he travelled down a long spiralling staircase. He couldn’t help but feel a bit like a kidnapped princess who had been locked in a tower, except his dragon was a sixty year-old matriarch who hoarded books.

Everywhere Sidney looked he was circled by colourful novels of all sizes lining the walls. When he leaned over the staircase railing he was surprised by the sheer range of different languages on offer, most were Russian but there were still a rare few which were were written in the ancient runes found throughout Granny’s Shop. The one title he could read said ‘Jack the Giant-Killer’ on its spine in faded gold. Despite his curiosity Sidney left the books on their shelf, he had a feeling that if he damaged any of Ms Popova’s books she would demand his public execution.

He sighed in relief when he finally reached the end of the claustrophobic staircase which turned off into a spacious wooden room. Sidney remained cautious as he peered around the corner. The room held a magical atmosphere and it too was filled with thousands of books. It also had high arched windows, intricately carved tables, antique couches, and beautiful tapestries hung on any spare wall space. However, the most notable thing about the room was the handful of children softly chatting to one another.

It was one thing to know there were children present, but it was a whole different matter to actually see them. They seemed to be happy, or at least content, as they laughed and groaned about homework or magic to each other. Most of them were very young, although there was an older teen present who was acting as supervisor.

Sidney debated on whether he should go in or just retreat back to his room until night. Before he could make up his mind he heard a squeaky voice ask, “Are you a murderer?”

He yelped and spun around, hand clutching at his swiftly beating heart. “What? No!” He said to the little girl goggling up at him, her round glasses making her dark eyes look huge. Sidney hadn’t even heard her coming down the stairs. Did she somehow stealthily follow him?

“Are you sure? Because Taika said that Ms P erases bad adults who kill and stuff and I’ve never seen you before,” she put her hands on her hips and attempted to loom at him threatenly. Sidney squatted down to make it easier for her.

He tried to remain serious and not smile at her adorable posturing. “No I’m not a bad man, I’m Sidney Crosby, a hockey player,” he explained. The girls eyes began to sparkle when he mentioned hockey, making Sidney unable to hold back his smile any longer. “What’s your name?”

“Do you know Ovechkin? He plays hockey too and is everyones favourite. But I like PK ‘cause he’s funny and looks like me. Do you know him too?” she asked, obviously too excited to answer his question.

He muffled a laugh and replied, “Yeah I do. I’m friends with both of them. Ovechkin's team is a rival of mine. PK’s also very talented and blocks a lot of my shots, so I can see why you like him.” The girl puffed up in pride at the compliment.

“I’m Zee,” she finally revealed and held out her hand to shake, which Sidney gladly did.

“It’s nice to meet you Zee,” he said, shuffling a little to take the strain off his knees from crouching so long. “Are you a student here?”

“Yep! Ms P says I’m reading at a college level,” she chirped happily, fisting her hands in her long patchy skirt and twirling it side to side. “And I can do my meditation exercises for hours, unlike Ivan. He can never sit still and is always trying to bug me but I just go intangible so he can’t electrocute me.”

Sidney’s head spun a little at the offloading of information but he decided to just go with the flow for now. “Wow! That’s amazing. Is that how you snuck up on me? You must be very good at it.” Zee nodded at him and smiled smugly. Sidney hoped he wouldn’t get in trouble for inflating her ego so much, she was just too cute. “I’m here because I have a power too,” he whispered like it was a secret.

Before Zee could ask for more information a latino boy yelled out, causing both him and Zee to jump. The supervising teenager he had spied earlier rushed his way over and pulled a wiggling Zee behind him. “Who are you?” He demanded with narrow eyes. Behind him a group of four young children of were watching with interest.

Sidney took a quick step back and mirrored Ms Popova’s earlier gesture, palms facing outwards to show he came in peace. “I’m sorry. Ms Popova transferred me here for training. I’m Sidney Crosby, it’s nice to meet you all,” he said in his most friendly and non-threatening voice.

“SIDNEY CROSBY!” One pre-teen girl yelled from the huddled group of kids and pushed her way to the front. “It really is you! Holy shit!” She gapped at him.

Sidney smiled back, it was nice to see he had a fan even in a place like this. He paused at the realisation that this girl somehow knew him despite Ms Popova’s claims she erased his existence. Unwittingly hope began to grow in his chest.

Before Sidney could question the girl on why she could remember him the supervisor turned to the shocked pre-teen and scolded, “No swearing!”

A few kids started to giggle at the vulgarity, a short dark-skinned one going so far as to repeat the swear, which only caused everyone else to laugh harder at their frustrated elder.

Zee tugged on Sidney’s shirt and motioned him closer, it seemed like she had easily escaped the distracted teen. He kneeled back down and tilted his head towards Zee so she could mutter to him, “What’s your ability?”

“Zee!” Yelped the harassed teen, just noticing that she was no longer behind him.

The spirited girl jutted her chin out at him and huffed, “I want to know his ability. He has to tell me first ‘cause I asked first.” Her very rational argument didn’t calm the teen down as he made another attempt to grab her, but this time his hand only went right through her as if she was a ghost. Sidney twitched at the strange sight and stood back up.

“Is your ability to do with hockey?” His fan asked, breaking the tense atmosphere.

“Ah no, that comes with lots of hard work and a good team. Ms Popova said I’m a Resonate-” he was cut off by a series of noises of disbelief. He shuffled awkwardly at the children gaping at him, his fan looked like she was about to faint.

“I think you should follow me,” the supervisor said with authority, the effect was partly ruined however by the slight tremor in his voice. Sidney nodded and went to follow him but was delayed by Zee grabbing his hand, obviously deciding she would lead the way as she tugged him into the massive room.

They all settled onto four couches which were circled around a delicately carved table.

Before things could get awkward Zee squeezed his hand that she had yet to let go of. “Are you really a Resonate? ‘Cause Ms P said they don’t exist anymore ‘cause they were all murdered,” Zee asked. Sidney wasn’t sure what to do about the fact she seemed to be so casual about murder.

“I can feel his power. It’s making me stronger, I can just tell,” said his fan with confidence.

A sandy haired girl snorted in derision at this statement, “How would you know? Abilities don’t work on you anyway, you’re just one giant black hole.”

His fan loudly protested.

Once Sidney got over his shock at the amount of bad attitude displaced from such a young child he analysed the girls taunt. He decided to test out his hypothesis by addressing his fan, “Excuse me, um I’m sorry I don’t know your name, but Ms Popova told me she had erased my existence but you can remember me…” he trailed off.

The girl nervously stuttered out, “Er I’m Grace, Mr Captain Crosby sir. I’m super sorry but Ms P really did delete you because I know for a fact that pretty much everyone here knows you, we’re all massive hockey fans. I can remember because magical abilities don’t work on me. But I am _not_ a black hole Diana!”

The now named Diana snorted and rolled her eyes in dismissal.

Sidney slumped in his seat, he should have never gotten his hopes up. He wasn’t able to get to deep into a depression at the loss of his loved ones and career however because Zee tugged at his hand again, reminding him that she still hadn’t let go.

“Don’t be sad. The Safe House is super fun, we learn loads of stuff and Ms P is strict but nice and always gets us as many books as we want,” Zee said smiling at him. Sidney did his best to smile back despite his turbulent emotions.

“I can’t believe Ms P deleted Sidney Crosby though. I mean that’s a massive risk since all of Canada knows you. Someone's bound to remember you,” Grace ranted and flailed her arms about, making him realise that she was Canadian too. The toddler in her lap squirmed at the girls dramatic arm gestures and murmured up at her quietly. Grace shot the kid a sheepish look and patted his hair soothingly.

“She deleted him because he’s an untrained adult Resonate, do you know how dangerous that is?” The supervisor asked, but continued on without waiting for an answer, “There are marked magic users out there who would stop at nothing to get their own pet Resonate.”

Sidney gave the teen a disappointed stare, he didn’t appreciate the way he was speaking like Sidney wasn’t even there. “I’m sorry but I didn’t catch your name buddy?” He asked politely.

The latino teen hesitantly replied, “I’m Sebastián.” At the same time Zee shouted, “That’s Sebbie. He’s super mean and bossy.” The children all laughed at Sebastián’s expense.

He grinned at the antics, it was almost like being back home with the team. The thought sucked the good mood out of Sidney, but he tried to not outwardly show this as he thanked Sebastián.

“I’m Oghenekevwe,” chirped an African boy who had repeated Grace’s swear earlier. “You can call me OG but I’m notta gangstar.”

“This adorable little man is Ivan,” said Grace, her hands still carding through the toddler’s hair. Ivan shyly waved at Sidney and then buried his face back into Grace’s thy. She motioned her head towards Zee, “And that’s Bekezela.”

“No! I’m Zee now,” she asserted to Grace, who looked confused. It must be a new nickname then.

“So do you all have abilities?” He asked the children.

OG bounced in his seat and rushed to speak first, “I’ll do it! I know everyone’s abilities!” The boy didn’t wait for agreement of his claim before he started, “I have psychometry,” he spoke the long word with familiarity, “It means I can see memories and stuff if I touch old objects.” The boy pointed to Ivan, “He is made out of electricity, like a battery, so you cannot touch him unless you’re Grace or you will get hurt.” Next he directed his finger at Diana, “Taika says Diana can make fire because she is a hothead.”

The insulted girl in question stood in anger and her hands became covered in flames as she made to climb over the table towards OG. Sebastián’s arms latched out around the cursing girl’s thick waist and hauled her back onto the couch seat.

OG continued as if nothing had happened, ever present grin stretched over his face. “And Sebbie has projective -” OG took a big breath and slowly sounded out, “Omnilingualism, which is why we can all understand each other even though we are all speaking different languages.”

Sebastián let go of the literally fuming Diana to clap. “Very well done OG. Perhaps less insults next time, okay?” OG smiled and nodded, Sidney was intensely reminded of Flower right after the man had gotten away with a prank.

“So are you all here willingly? Did Ms Popova take you away without your permission?” Sidney asked.

The children all showed surprise at his assumption. Grace was the first to voice her shock, “Of course not! Ms P only bring kids to the Safe House if they have no other option. I mean this place is a last resort sort of thing.”

Sebastián spoke-up in agreement, “The main residents here are those without a safe home or in possession of an ability that could endanger innocents. We are all offered extensive full-time training and education here by Ms P and her trusted associates, like Safe House alumni.”

“And if you’re wondering if she erased us too she only does that for people who request it or the Marked,” Diana picked up the conversation seamlessly. “So are you sure you’re not a murderer or done something terrible?”

“No! Never!” Sidney denied again. At the same time Grace and Zee also shouted in his defence.

Grace’s loud voice won out, “We’ve already agreed that Mr Crosby isn’t Marked. But it’s still strange that Ms P would use her ability like this, without permission and on someone so famous. Even if he is a Resonate he could have still lived his life in hiding like he did before!”

Sidney sighed, “Ms Popova said I needed full-time training and that the blood sigil that hid me wasn’t working anymore.” His hand went to his bare neck, missing his necklace like a limb. “But you’re correct, she had no right to do this. I could have gotten help from Granny, I mean, Maya Gadjin. I need Ms Popova to reverse what she’s done so I can go home to my family and team.”

The children perked up at the mention of Granny. Zee looked ecstatic, “I’m going to be Granny when I grow up!” She declared. The other kids all nodded like they had heard this goal many times.

“We’ll help you convince Ms P to get your life back! I can’t live without your hockey. Canada needs you,” Grace generously offered. The others backed her up, but Sebastián still hesitated.

“Granny can’t train you like Ms P can. If you don’t get proper training to control your ability you will be putting the magical community in danger,” the teen pointed out, causing the other children to deflate.

Sidney considered the conundrum. “How about I get Granny to make me a stronger charm to hide and I can arrange to meet Ms Popova before her weekly meetings with Granny for training.” He didn’t mention how incredibly busy his schedule was, it would take a lot of careful planning. Although he had been hearing that there would likely be a lockout next year due to the labour dispute. On one hand no hockey would be torture, but alternatively it would give him plenty of spare time for magical training.

Sebastián crossed his arms and accepted Sidney’s offer. The children cheered up at their leader’s willingness to join in their plotting.

“To convince Ms P you should tell her you love Star Trek and that Uhura is the best. She _loves_ Uhura,” OG advised with endless enthusiasm.

“No! Say that Putin is a little bitch,” Grace said, laughing and ignoring Sebastián’s scolding for her swearing.

Even Diana joined in, “Say that if she doesn’t give you back your existence you’ll burn down all the libraries in the world.” The girl had a sparkle in her eye that told Sidney she just might help him to do this.

Sebastián scoffed, “That’s a terrible idea, she’d kill him on the spot.”

“You should tell her that Granny will give her a kiss if she lets you go home,” Zee said, trying to climb onto Sidney’s lap. He carefully maneuvered her to sit back by his side, offering her his hand again. Zee gripped it firmly and beamed up at him.

Ivan made a grossed-out face at the mention of kissing.

“Does that mean she would live here or would we have to move to America?” OG asked Sebastián.

The teen blinked in shock. “What? No that normally happens when parents get married,” he explained patiently.

Zee thrust her and Sidney’s clasped hands into the air in excitement. “Yeah! Instead of a kiss say Granny will marry Ms P!” Most of the children yelled in agreement.

Ivan quietly whispered through all the hollering, “Will she tell us more stories?”

“You betcha,” Grace said and bounced the boy on her knee, making him squeal in glee.

Sebastián rubbed his forehead in stress. “I think you should just tell her what you told me. And also mention that we think she should let you go free, okay?”

Sidney nodded. He could really relate to the teen, he often felt that way when dealing with his rambunctious team.

He thanked them all for their advice and stood up, ready to march off towards Ms Popova’s office but he once again felt a tug at his hand.

“I’m sorry bud, you’ll need to let go so I can go find Ms Popova,” he told Zee.

In reply the girl gave him the most reproachful look he’d ever seen on a child. “No. You don’t even know where you’re going. I’ll show you.” With that she lead him away from the room full of laughing children.

_X_

Zee led Sidney on the scenic route of the enormous building as they travelled through multiple rooms and up staircases and across a blooming courtyard full of flowers. The whole time Zee acted as a tourguide for the various places and quickly introduced him to other children and a few adults.

Sidney assessed that Zee was the greatest source of information in the Safe House, other than the millions of books that covered every surface. She knew all the gossip, even the stuff she should definitely not have been privy too. While that was one benefit to Zee’s ability, he also realised the main downside of her intangibility - People forgot she existed. She was the living proof of the saying out of sight out of mind. So Sidney made a special effort to give her his full undivided attention. Which was probably why it took so long for them to arrive at Ms Popova’s office.

The doors to Ms Popova’s office was covered in complicated sigils but somehow still managed to feel welcoming and open. The woman waved them in, shooting Sidney a blank look but smiling warmly at Zee. However the girl took no notice of this as she finished dragging Sidney in front of the matron’s desk and dropped his hand, all the while staring at the floor.

Taking no mind of the watchful Ms Popova he knelt down. “Hey,” he said softly to Zee, leaning sideways to try and catch her eyes. His heart broke to see them shining with tears, the little girl whimpered and hid her face in her skirt by kneeling too. Sidney decided to sit cross-legged as a result. The silliness of the action caused Zee to give a muffled giggle and finally met his eyes.

“Are you leaving forever?” Zee spoke weakly.

After all these years saying goodbye to special younger fans never failed to torment Sidney’s emotions. It was especially potent this time since Zee was obviously so desperate for attention.

“You see Granny don’t you? I’ll try my best to catch a ride along with her,” he said, fully committed to out-stubborning Ms Popova and Granny to make it happen. He didn’t mention that he might not be playing hockey next year, it was better not to set her up for false expectations.

Zee pursed her lips in distrust, familiar with the white-lies of adults. “We will see,” he said with finality and stomped out of the room. Sidney scratched the back of his head and stood back up, her reaction could have been worse.

“So you’re planning on leaving then.” Ms Popova stated, leaving no room to think it was a question. “And how is this grand escape going to happen?”

Sidney bit at his lip, going over his argument in his head. “I talked with some of your kids, Sebastián’s group, and they told me I’m an unusual case for you, since I did not give you permission to erase my existence and I’m not a Marked person. So what right did you have? I’ve seen the sigils in Granny’s shop, she could have made me a new charm to hide and protect me. We could have arranged part-time magic training. I have - _had_ \- a life, a good one. Why?”

When his outburst ended the room grew quiet other than Sidney’s harsh breathing.

Ms Popova leaned back in her arched chair. “Mr Crosby you are a man used to getting your way, an understandable side effect of being at the top of your world. However you should remember that you are no longer a part of the NHL, you’re in my world. The magical community does not know you or your worth yet. Making demands to someone of my status without proper compensation is just not done.”

It was obvious that the woman was a master wordsmith, never answering his question and easily taking control of the conversation. But Sidney had enough experience with the media to give her at least a little challenge.

“What do you want from me? Power? Money? Is that why you take these children from their homes, to train them so they can join your posse of alumni? Am I just going to be another case of stockholm syndrome? I have seen no reason to trust you Ms Popova. Why should I use my abilities to help you when you have treated me with so much undeserved disrespect.  I don’t even know what you stand for.”

He watched her mask crack under his onslaught of questions. Underneath he caught a glimpse of an exhausted old woman.

Her voice trembled slightly with barely repressed emotion when she replied, “I stand for legacy Mr Crosby. I have been fighting for the survival of the traditional magic community far longer than you’ve been alive. I invest so much of my time and energy into these children because they are the last defence against the complete dismantling of magic itself.”

Ms Popova suddenly stood and started to pace alongside one of her bookshelves, all the while orating. “Did you know that magic is as strong as those who believe in it? Everyday people are converted to science or ‘logic’ and become just another clog in the global economy, they are denied individualism and imagination.”

Sidney listened riveted to the matrons passionate manifesto as she described the history of the Stalin Regime in Russia, which banned folklore or propagandized it to the extent it lost all its original meaning. Magic was replaced by Stalin. Independent heroines became working class housewives. Any tale that contradicted communist ideology was burned. And with every purging magic became weaker and weaker.

“The magical community is at its weakest,” Ms Popova continued. “But I refuse to lie down and die. I have one of the largest private collections of books and oral media, many containing once lost folk stories. I saved so many from my time as Head Librarian at the Library of Moscow but these records are useless without willing minds to read and absorb the priceless information they offer. That is what I stand for, Mr Crosby.”

He reminded silent for a long moment, absorbing the woman’s speech. “I understand and I’m willing to help, but I can’t just give up my entire life for that. There is so much more to me than just magic, I mean I only discovered it existed months ago. If you refuse to give me back my family, my friends, and hockey I will become less as a person, they are what drives me, just like these magical children motivate you. I need to go home.”

Ms Popova strolled her way to her chair but remained standing, her hands clenched behind her stiff back. “I will consider what you have told me. However before I dismiss you I want you to know that with your ability you can save these children. As a Resonate you not only increase potential but also offer control, something these children need dearly. I haven’t seen Bekezela that noticeable in a while.”

With that she sat down and focused on the papers spread orderly on her mahogany desk, no longer paying Sidney any piece of mind. He realised he wouldn’t be getting anything else from her so he turned to leave all the while debating over the conundrum she posed; To chose between his own happiness or the wellbeing of innocent children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: kidnapping of both adults and children; possible Stockholm syndrome; mentions of child abuse.
> 
> Sometimes it feels like Sidney can only think in hockey metaphors. Also if you haven’t noticed I made Maya and Vasilisa have the radical lesbian version of Magneto and Professor X’s relationship, including the adoption of hundreds of super powered children. They 110% flirt while playing chess on Girl's Night.
> 
> Up next: Magic Adventures by Geno, Ovi and Gonch, ft. a girl and her duck; a hot chick; and a fishy old man.


	7. Detour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand we’re back to Geno’s perspective. This chapter may seem nonsensical but I swear it is vital to the plot! I had some fun integrating Russian folktales into the story.  
> A special thanks to smallinsaneone for being my beta and Devisama for continuing to comment on every chapter, you always motivate me to write.

_30th April 2012_

Evgeni had lost count on the amount of flights he’d been on. He’d experienced his share of screaming babies, unruly passengers, chatty old ladies, and cringely polite flight attendants; But this had to be the worst plane ride he had ever experienced. It wasn’t due to any of the normal annoyances, rather it was the stomach turning suspense of not knowing whether Sid was alright. His anxiety was so high during the twenty-five hour flight that even Sergei’s midnight blue aura was unable to settle him.

He’d only been partly distracted by Sasha filling them in on everything he knew about Popova. They were just rumours that had spread across the Slavic Magical Community, mainly that she owned the largest source of magical information in the world and had secret fortresses all across Eastern Europe. A less believed rumour was that she used these resources to train an army of gifted individuals to overthrow the non-magical society.

Sasha explained that he had only met a woman he believed to be Popova’s main assistant. A woman by the name of Taika who held Slavic roots. He complained the she was boring and wasn’t a big threat. Something about his posturing made Evgeni guess that she probably hadn’t been too impressed by Sasha either.

It was a relief to finally land in Petrozavodsk’s airport. Evgeni was completely ready to start the hunt for Sid right away by taking the earliest hydrofoil to Kizhi Island but Sasha and Sergei were less willing, sighting jet lag and the fact it was to late at night.

Evgeni managed to maintain his sulking the entire thirty minute taxi drive to Onego Palace Hotel. The other men ignored him, instead gazing at the contrasting scenery of the city dotted with both shining new high-rise buildings and shadowed abandoned houses. The lakeside settlement was slowly being devoured by tourism and gentrification. He actually felt a bit guilty at contributing to the destructive industry as they stashed their belongs into their lavish accommodation.

With great reluctance Evgeni followed the tired examples of Sasha and Sergei, putting himself to bed with the promise to begin their search for Sid bright and early tomorrow morning. Despite all his tumultuous emotions and the unfamiliar room years of experience on roadies allowed him to fall asleep the moment his head rested on his pillow.

_/\\_

_1st May 2012_

After a restless eight hours of sleep the trio carried themselves like zombies to the building's lobby to gorge themselves on a massive breakfast of Russian food they had all missed during their time in America. After inhaling his tea and consuming his overflowing plate of fried eggs with kolbasa Evgeni felt full of energy ready to be spent on finding Sid.

An annoyingly aware Sasha teased him for his endless enthusiasm. “You sure are excited to see your darling ‘Captain’ again. I’m not surprised this mystery man replaced you as team leader, too much responsibility makes a dull boy,” he grinned, aura waving in glee.

Evgeni shot a glare at him and sassed back, “I guess that explains your personality then - and also all that premature grey hair.”

Sasha scoffed. “What’s your excuse, huh? At least I’ll still have hair by the time I’m thirty.”

Sergie’s hand thumped on the table causing cutlery to jump and interrupting their habitual bickering. “This is exactly why I came along, or you two would be here all day fighting over stupid things.” Evgeni and Sasha gave each other childish faces. “Now where do you want to go first Zhenya?”

Evgeni hunched his shoulders and relaid the information he had discovered this morning after waking up, “The soonest hydrofil is leaving at half-past ten and the last is in the afternoon.”

“What are we going to do for five hours?” Sergei groaned.

“Sightseeing!” Said Sasha, ever the optimist.

During his researching on the area Evgeni did read about a few interesting statues and churches in the area, especially the Kizhi Pogost on the Island. They were the sort of historic tourist traps that Sid was most fond of.

Sasha continued however, “We should go see a certain man I know about the Petrozavodsk Phenomenon.” Of course none of the normal sights interested Sasha compared to a massive conspiracy.

“No.” Objected Sergei firmly, “No more cryptics or conspiracies. Ever.”

Sasha pouted dramatically, his aura mischiefly swooping in and out of Sergei’s personal space.

“We should be out looking for Sid, not wasting time doing stupid touristy activities - this isn’t a holiday,” Evgeni said, almost ruining the light atmosphere.

Sergei rolled his eyes and his aura deflated to match him. “I think we should all go for a nice walk in the park. Some of us could use some relaxing scenery,” he said, not even attempting to be subtle.

Sasha voiced his agreement and elbowed Evgeni with even less subtlety.

Evgeni huffed and relented, one again, to the whims of his companions.

_/\\_

Petrozavodsk’s National Park was quite beautiful this time of year with the weather warming up for summer. Evgeni couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually went out to enjoy nature like this, maybe during training camp when Sid forced him to tag along on a run through Riverview Park. It had been a fun outing, especially watching first hand Sid’s loathing of cardio and hearing his accusations of cheating when Evgeni beat him at sprinting.

The scenic trails did act as a good calming distraction just like Sergei predicted. Since it was about six am there were only a few dedicated joggers, none of whom stopped to bother the wandering men.

It was only when Sasha decided to go offroad that they came upon a crying girl hidden in the foliage. For a change they were the ones disrupting another person, as none of them were willing to leave a distressed child in such a state. Especially Evgeni, who could see the weight of the girls sadness in her pale violet aura.

Sasha was the first to bound up to the girl, aura reaching out to her. “Hi!,” he said, smiling as bright as his golden aura.

The girl’s head snapped up at the sudden greeting, gradual realisation transformed her grief-laden face to one of pure shock as her eyes bounced from Sasha, to him, to Sergei. She didn’t say anything as she stared at them slack jawed.

This time it was Sergei who made the introductions as his aura gently rolled outwards in a soothing wave. “Hello, I’m Sergei Gonchar,” he then gestured at Evgeni and Sasha, “and this is Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin. We’re sorry to intrude but me and my friends were just wondering what’s wrong.”

“I know who you are,” the girl bluntly stated and then blushed at her forwardness. “I mean… sorry. I’m Alyona.” She shuffled to her feet and brushed the dirt of her white dress. “I was just looking for my br-,” her voice wavered, “I mean, my pet Venya, he’s a duck - a white one.” Her aura became even more lethargic and sunken as she finished explaining.  

Evgeni immediately spoke up in an attempt to cheer her up, “We will help find him! There’s no need to sad okay.” Hopefully they would have enough time before they needed to go catch a hydrofoil.

Alyona sniffed in reply and muttered out a weak, “Really?” And there was no going back on his word as Sasha and Sergei readily agreed.

The girl’s face glowed with happiness as she lead them off deeper into the woods. She told them that she had last seen her dear Venya down by the river running through the Nature Park. The duck was also apparently a duckling, which had caused it to be dragged off by the current, so they decided to travel downstream.

It took around an hour of searching before Sergei finally stumbled upon the lost pet screeching for help while tangled up in a pile of washed up debris.

Evgeni was the only one nearby so he rushed over to help Sergei extract the panicking duck. The entire time the man’s aura covered the animal and he spoke in a deep mellow voice as if comforting one of his own children. It seemed to work as the duck went lax and stopped struggling.

He noticed something strange about the animal being steadily uncovered: it had a rare white aura to match its soft downy feathers. Which was strange considering he couldn’t see animal auras, despite how much he wished he could. So why was Venya the duck an exception?

“Venya!” Cried Alyona as she ran over to the men huddled around the almost freed duckling. Her voice made the duck start peeping wildly, Sergei’s aura no longer having an effect on the excited animal.

Finally tugging itself free from a reed around its webbed feet the duck shot off for Alyona, who gladly greeted it with soft pats and copious apologies for losing him. The ducks aura responded to her with human intelligence, expanding outwards to engulf her in happy waves.

Evgeni shuffled over to Sergei who was looking at the scene with fondness and spoke, “I think the duck might be a human.”

Sergei sighed and replied with a tone of long-suffering, “Of course he is. I can’t go anywhere with you without magic getting involved.”

A nearby Sasha swooped in and added, “How do you know? He could just be a very well trained duck.”

“A few of my old KHL teammates got transformed into animals when they pissed off a rival player who turned out to be handy with transfiguration,” he explained, “And it has a human aura.”

Sergei was about to say something but was interrupted by Alyona rejoining them, finished with her affectionate reunion with her ‘duck’ who she now held snug in her arms.

“Thank-you so much for finding Venya, mama and papa would have been so mad at me for losing him,” she said. Her aura looking much more vibrant and lively now that her ordeal was over.

The older men shuffled awkwardly, unsure how to address their concerns about the identity of her pet. Evgeni nudged Sergei since he was the one she seemed to like best. The older man gave him a side-eye glare and turned to Alyona with a soft smile.

“You’re welcome Alyona, we were happy to help. But we couldn’t help but notice something unusual about Vanya, he seems awfully well training for such a young duckling. Is he special in some way?”

Alyona obviously hesitated, squeezing Vanya tighter to her. The duckling’s feathers ruffled and its aura flared, showing that it had understood Sergei. This time Evgeni elbowed Sasha, who was better at getting strangers to reveal all their secrets.

Sasha’s golden aura joined Sergei’s as it spread over the girl and her duck. “Please, we only want to help. I promise we can keep a secret.”

The overall effect of Sasha and Sergei’s combined auras, along with the fact they were well known celebrities, caused Alyona to admit the truth: that Vanya was her brother.

None of them denied her claims. Instead Sergei inquired how it had happened. Their willingness to believe her made Alyona’s shoulders slump with relief and Vanya’s white aura to perk up in hope.

With a heavy aura she told the story. “It was a bad man. He said that mama and papa were not real Russian’s because they are originally from Ukraine and Vanya called him a liar. But he didn’t mean too! He’s only little, he doesn’t know when to be quite,” the girl’s breath hitched, “No matter how much mama and papa said sorry the bad man still made Vanya a duck and now he won’t change back.”

Her misery of the unfortunate event overwhelmed Sergei’s Peacekeeping ability, so the man knelt down and tried to comfort her another way. He tugged his white scarf off and held it out to the girl, who peered at him in confusion through her teary eyes.

“This is a lucky scarf given to me by the most powerful witch in all of America. She told me to give this to whoever deserves it most. You obviously love and care for your brother very much so I think you should have it,” he said draping the scarf over her head

Alyona shook her head, causing the scarf to fall onto a quacking Vanya. “I don’t deserve it! I lost my baby brother because I was being stupid. Vanya should get it instead since he has to be a duck all the time.”

Before Sergei could refute her self-deprecation Vanya gave a odd squawk and fluttered to the ground, taking the scarf with him. Right before their eyes the duckling transformed until there was a toddler holding a scarf in its place.

Alyona was the first to recover from her shock as she flung herself at the boy, who gripped her back just as tightly.

Sergei moved out of the way of the emotional children, joining a gobsmacked Sasha and Evgeni. “Well. That just happened,” he said, scratching at his head.

Sasha laughed while his aura swayed randomly. “I knew that would happen,” he lied with utmost confidence. Evgeni rolled his eyes at him.

While it was nice to see the children so happy Evgeni couldn’t help but ruin the mood again by asking, “Where are their parents?” Sergei ended up repeating the question to the kids once they stopped embracing.

“We normally wait at at our uncle’s shop for mama to finish work but he wasn’t there today and me and Vanya were bored so we decided to go play in the park,” Alyona explained guiltily, her hand still clutching tight to Vanya’s.

The three men gave each other a look of mutual understanding, which Evgeni shared with the two children. “Don’t worry, we’ll walk you back and wait for your mama with you. Okay?” Sid would understand why he needed to do this, he will just catch the latter hydrofoil to the Island.

Alyona and Vanya chirped their agreement.

_X_

It took until midday before the men were free to leave the exuberant children in the capable hands of their grateful mother. They kindly rejected her offers for tea, food or money and made their way back into the street.

Evgeni was keen to get to the hydrofoil before it left but unfortunately his plans were further delayed by the sight of a worn looking woman hunched defensively in front of a shouting police officer. The other people on the walkway ignored the commotion as if it wasn’t even happening. Evgeni’s conflict over getting involved was instantly decided the moment the policeman’s patience ran out and he roughly grabbed the protesting woman’s arm.

He directed Sasha and Sergei to the violent scene. “We have to help,” he told them and began to walk over to the yelling individuals with his friends hurrying to catch up.

Sasha immediately got the officer’s attention, his golden aura cloaking the man in it’s influence. The anger covering the police officer's face melted away into a look of pure awe at the arguably most famous sportsman in Russia.

While Sasha charmed the policeman Evgeni and Sergei approached the woman who eyed them with both familiarity and suspicion. Now that he was closer Evgeni could see that her clothing was in disarray and her face was badly burnt, only her fiery red hair was in perfect condition.

“What do you want?” She asked bluntly.

“We just want to help,” Evgeni said sincerely.

Sergei’s aura wavered, showing his unsurety of whether he should use his ability on the woman or not. Evgeni subtly shook his head at him, he didn’t think they needed to manipulate the woman like that.

His thoughts were proven correct as the woman’s jaw unclenched and her closely contained aura expanded enough for Evgeni to see it was as red as her hair. “Why?” She asked, still holding distrust for them.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” he told her and was comforted to see her aura lose most of its sharpness towards him. Seeing that she was beginning to trust them more he pointed out the distracted policeman, “We should leave.” Sasha could catch up later.

“Fine. This way, but don’t try anything, I’m much stronger than I look,” with that warning she moved over to a nearby ally with him and Sergei following close behind.

After a quiet moment of walking Evgeni offered to buy some medical supplies for the woman’s burns.

She stopped and turned to face him with a harsh frown. “You want to help me?” She asked, her arms crossed defensively.

Evgeni simply nodded in confirmation. The red haired women stared at him with lazer sharp eyes, looking for any notion of deceit. Sergei remained standing off to the side, leaving Evgeni in charge of the situation.

Finally she looked down at the floor and shoved her hands deeply into the pockets of her tattered coat. “Okay. Sure, I’ll give it a go. Look these burns are nothing compared to what the arsehole who did them took from me.”

“Who is he? What did he take? Why did he hurt you?” Evgeni asked, furious at this mysterious man.

“I’m getting to that, geez, calm down,” the woman asserted. “He’s a black market dealer of magical objects,” she paused to see their reactions to the ‘m’ word, when she saw they were still serious she continued, “I had a rare red feather from a magical creature, so he came for me with his fucking gang of assholes who trapped me and burnt me and then stole it.”

“Why don’t you get it back yourself?” He asked.

The woman rolled her eyes, “Because he’d see me coming a mile away… And for some other reasons - I don’t want to talk about it okay.”

“Okay,” Evgeni acknowledged and leaned forward in determination. “Where is he? We will get you back your feather ourselves and make sure he can’t hurt you ever again.”

The woman’s aura wavered in hope at his declaration, but her face remained steely with doubt even as she answered him. “You can usually find him at the ugly yellow pawn shop in the next street over. Just ask for Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He looks like someone who’d take a shit on your lawn in public and then make you clean it up with your bare hands.”

Sergei laughed at the graphic description of their target and then spoke to the crass woman for the first time, “What’s your name? I’m Sergei Gonchar and that’s Evgeni Malkin.”

“I know who you are, I don’t live under a rock,” she said sassily. “My name is Aguya.” She didn’t offer a last name. Evgeni also noticed her aura shifted strangely as she said her name, making him think that perhaps she was lying.

“We will try our best to get you back your feather,” Evgeni assured her.

Aguya shrugged while her aura swooped in gratefulness.

He hesitated before he left, remembering Granny’s advice about kindness. Evgeni offered his warm scarf to the forlorn woman, “Here take this. You can think of it as leverage for us to come back.”

She gave him a strange look but nonetheless took the scarf, “Thanks, I guess.” Aguya wrapped his around her neck, making her look slightly less scrappy. “Okay, I’ll just wait here then,” she said, this time with more confidence.

Evgeni gave her a thumbs up and herded Sergei out of the alleyway. They retraced their steps back to a preening Sasha and pulled him away from his crowd of adoring fans. When they had privacy again Evgeni informed him of their new mission.

They followed Aguya’s directions and found themselves in front of the pawn shop she had described. It’s putrid yellow paint job looked out of place beside the nearby shiny modern buildings.

The men entered the cluttered shop ready for confrontation but were surprised to only see a young man sitting slumped at the register looking bored out of his mind. However when the man looked up to see his newest customers he fell from his chair with a startled yelp.

They tried to restrain their laughter as they made their way over to the fumbling man.

“Oh my God, um you’re Evgeni Malkin,” he stated the obvious and stared owl eyed at Evgeni, not even noticing the other hockey stars. The strangers aura was Flyer’s orange, but Evgeni tried not to hold it against him.

He smiled back at his fan, knowing from his unmarked aura that he wasn’t the evil man Aguya had described. He looked at the cashier’s name tag. “Hello Volia, nice to meet you. I’m looking for Fyodor Dostoyevsky, is he here?”

The young man was unable to hide his grimace at the name as he turned his head away, his aura rigidly spiked in negativity. “Oh yeah, um, that’s my boss,” he said with reluctance and looked back at Evgeni with sad puppy dog eyes, “He’s not here right now, but I’ll be happy to help out with whatever you need.”

Evgeni raised an eyebrow at the blatant discontent his fan held for Dostoyevsky, this could be useful. “I’m looking for something he took from a red haired woman, it’s a very important red feather.”

Volia’s eyes widened in recognition. “I think I know what you’re talking about, but…” he bit at his lip in hesitation, “I don’t think he’ll give it back, he’s really not the type.”

“Oh,” Evgeni sighed in disappointment.

His fan looked heartbroken to have garnered such a reaction from someone he admired so much. He perked up and leaned towards Evgeni, “But, I mean, stealing is illegal and if she wants it back so bad I can go get it.  He never should have taken it in the first place!” With that remark Volia shot off to a back room, leaving behind a group of beaming hockey players.

He returned shortly, carefully holding out the beautiful shimmering feather to Evgeni like a offering to a god.

Evgeni thanked him profusely for his kindness and gladly signed his Team Russia jersey the man seemingly pulled out from nowhere. He wished Volia well, hoping he wouldn’t be fired.

Volia shrugged in response and tightly grasped the signed jersey to his chest. “It’s alright I never liked working here anyway,” he said with a shaky smile.

As Evgeni took the crimson feather from the counter he was struck with the realisation of why this object was so incredibly important to Aguya and why she could have never retrieved it herself.

“Let’s go return this to Aguya,” he said, promising to explain his epiphany to his curious friends on their way back. They all took off with one last wave goodbye at the starry-eyed Volia.

_/\\_

Despite his assurances Aguya was still surprised to see the men when they returned.

Wordlessly Evgeni held out the feather towards the trembling woman. Sergei and Sasha’s auras rose in anticipation as Aguya delicately grasped the feather.

A circular column of fire rose up in a blast and consumed Aguya entirely. The three men yelped and rushed back from the blaze. When the flames died down a massive phoenix-like bird stood in Aguya’s place.

“You were right,” Sasha breathed in wonder to Evgeni. Who could only slowly nod his head and stare wide-eyed at the massive red bird in front of him.

The firebird bowed its head in thanks and then with a mighty heave it flapped its wings once and shot up into the sky.

“She was still wearing Granny’s scarf...” Sergei nonsensically pointed out as they all watched Aguya disappear into the sun’s glare.

They all stood in place revealing in their fortune of meeting such a rare mythical creature. Evgeni felt at peace knowing that he had freed her from the control of Dostoyevsky as soon as he had given Aguya back her feather. Now she was free to transform and fly whenever or wherever she wished.

“Wait isn’t the hydrofoil leaving in ten minutes?” Sasha asked.

Evgeni swore.

_X_

Sergei passed the salt to Evgeni who grumpily shook it onto his last mouthful of steak. Neither of his companions spoke or drew attention to the dark clouds hovering over him, knowing his mood would persist until they could go looking for Sid tomorrow morning. Evgeni was pissed that they had to wait another day. Even after his adventures with the two kids and the firebird he still felt like it had been a very unproductive day.

They had ended up missing the last hydrofoil, which had forced them to order a helicopter ride to Kizhi Island. After a lot of expensive paperwork and wasted time waiting on the missing pilot they had arrived at their Island accommodation well into the night.

The only consolation was the homely feeling of the Kizhi Grace Guest House which they were staying at. The men were entertained with how everything in the building, except for the people and toilets, were made out of a light coloured timber that was almost blinding in its adornment.

Evgeni looked around the brightly garnished restaurant. Out of the four small tables available there only one other occupied by a dark hooded figure. The strange individual looked completely out of place, like they had been pulled from the pages of a fantasy novel.

There was no food or drink in front of the slumped stranger, instead they kept peering into their tightly clasped hands that never strayed far from their chest. The gentle protection of whatever mystery that was hidden in the person’s hands reminded Evgeni of Sergei’s daughter Nathalie protecting a butterfly from the careless hands of her baby sister.

While Evgeni was curious about the secrets of the stranger he was far too tired to make an effort. All he wanted to do now was go relax in the sauna for an hour and revise his plans for tomorrow's search effort. Besides there was something unearthly about the stranger’s aura that set Evgeni’s nerves on end.

Unfortunately Sasha held no such qualms as he followed Evgeni’s line of sight. “Oh why didn’t you say there was someone else here. Let's go sit with them,” he cheerily ordered and headlessly marched off towards the possible threat.

Sergei and Evgeni could only sigh and follow along holding their own plates.

“Hello there. I’m Alex and these men are my darling minions, Evgeni and Sergei.” Said minions made noises of protest at the label.

The stranger lifted their head at Sasha’s greeting, giving the men the opportunity to see underneath the black hood. The first thing Evgeni noticed was the man’s sunken seafoam blue eyes. Next he was drawn to the tiny urn the man was holding for no discernible reason.

They all settled at the man’s table and Sasha stared at him intensely waiting for a reply. Sergei simply continues to eat, ignoring the spectacle. Despite the stranger’s old age Evgeni was reluctant to relax in his presence like his friends as he still couldn’t get a solid look at the man’s dark aura.

“It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I go by the name of Bubbles,” the stranger said formally in an unusual slurred accent. Even with the man’s dark skin, weird name, and uniquely coloured eyes Evgeni could not guess the man’s origins.

Sasha seemed to have similar thoughts as he questioned, “So are you a local?” His aura swayed in interest.

Once again there was a pause before Bubbles answered, as if he was translating their Russian into his own language and back again to make a comprehensible reply. “No. I am a well travelled man not from any one place. I adhere to the whims of sea currents that carry me where they believe I’m needed.”

“You’re a sailor,” stated Sasha, who took Bubbles’ small smile as confirmation. “So what reason did the sea bring you here?”

Evgeni ignored Sergei giving the waitress their empty places in his peripheral vision and focused even harder on Bubbles. The man was strange enough that he was probably magical and therefore might have a connection to Popova.

Bubbles’ face became morose. “I’m afraid I have not ventured to Kizhi Island for pleasure; Rather it is a tale of misfortune and loss that forced my migration. Recently a dear comrade in arms passed beyond the vale of death. Pertaining to our close friendship she posthumously entrusted her ashes into my care to scatter across special locations around the world, including Lake Onega.”

Well that explained the small urn that Bubbles held so preciously.

Sasha comforted the man of his loss. His golden aura fluttering even closer to Bubbles. Sergei’s aura also seemed to be invested in soothing the man of his grief. However with the closed-in nature of the man’s aura Evgeni found it unlikely either of their abilities would have much effect.

“Can we hear her story?” Sasha asked, hoping that Bubbles would take the chance to vent his sadness.

Evgeni personally witnessed the gratefulness the question garnered as finally Bubbles aura expanded enough to reveal it was a silky black, like the man’s cloak. He was taken back at the colouring but tried to withhold judgement, after all Sergei’s aura was the dark blue of a moonless night sky. Just because he had never met someone with a black aura before didn’t make it a premonition for doom.

So the aged man told the story of his friend Sky, a brave lady who was always ready to fight at any single moment.  How he was most well known amongst her people for her protection of individuals who couldn’t defend themselves. She had believed that all women should be equipped with knifes and swords and all sorts of lovely pointy objects.

He told the riveted men about how he met Sky. That she had saved his life during a battle and when he had offered her the world for her noble deed her only request was for him to shave off his ugly mustache.

For hours the three hockey players listened to Bubbles who now smiled and laughed at the memory of his incredible comrade.

It was creeping into midnight when he finished his reminiscing with one final story. “Lake Onega was where Sky first committed herself to the ways of the warrior, pledging herself the moment the sun rose. Thus as she had met her beginning as a warrior at sun’s first light so too will her remains be set adrift on the shining water at such a time.

“I hope I am not being importunate in requesting your company on this last adventure for my dear Sky. You have shared in her life’s story, it would therefore only be fair to include you in her death’s story as well.”

Despite how little sleep they would get and their preexisting plan to find Sid the trio readily agreed to meet up at a quarter to five to scatter Sky’s remains. They were far too invested to back out now.

_/\\_

_2nd May 2012_

The small boat glided along the lake through the ghostly mist. The water was still except for the ripples that flowed from the vessel’s paddles and Sasha’s splashing hand.

Evgeni, who was facing Sasha, shoved the man’s freezing wet hand away from his vulnerable neck and tried to push him overboard in revenge.

“Children!” Shouted Sergei, “Don’t make Bubbles regret allowing us to come.” His glare became apologetic when he turned to Bubbles, who looked quite amused at their playfulness.

“Be at peace comrade Gonchar, their spirited fighting is just the type of funfair Sky used to relish in.” Bubbles smiled at Sasha, “Your charming character comrade Ovechkin would have greatly appealed to my dear Sky.”

Sasha’s golden aura puffed out in pride, showing that his levity at this normally bittersweet moment was on purpose. Sometimes Evgeni was really shocked at how well Sasha could read and empathise with people.

“Here will be satisfactory to say my final goodbye,” said Bubbles once they were in the middle of the lake. Gratefully Evgeni and Sergei let go of the ores. He stretched out his arms to rid of the soft ache in his muscles from all the rowing.

They all sat in silence for a moment, taking in the serene scene. Evgeni watched entranced by the clouds of their visible breathing, it was almost like they were the dragons from his mother’s stories who’s breaths brought mist and ice instead of fire.

Eventually Bubbles broke through their meditations by starting to speak, “I would like to dictate a brief eulogy to fare thee well my friend Sky.”

The three friends listened in silence as Bubbles spoke again on Sky’s extroverted character, praising his passionate and generous nature. He finished by saying that while her death was a massive loss to her loved ones, the memories of her brave deeds would live on for generations to come.

With tears gathering him his drooping eyes Bubbles opened the urn he had been carrying the entire time and poured out the dark ashes into the disappearing mist.

Bubbles leaned back into Sasha’s side and wiped away his tears. Sasha put his arm around the grieving man’s shaking shoulders and hugged the him close.

“You did an amazing job, I’m sure Sky would be very happy.” With his spare hand Sasha pulled off his black scarf, the last one Granny had given to the travellers, and handed it to Bubbles. “Take this scarf, it will keep you warm.”

Bubbles nodded in thanks and with wrinkled hands wrapped the scarf loosely around his neck. “My thanks. All of you have been so kind,” he said catching their eyes one-by-one before he directed his gaze towards the gradually rising sun. “But now I too must bid goodbye. Please know that you have done me an immeasurable service. I hope you find the one you’re searching for.”

With that he stood and jumped off the boat. The other men shouted in surprise and scrambled to look over the side. Just before Sasha could throw himself in after Bubbles they saw the man waving up at them from underneath the clear water with a long dark tail in the place of his legs. Giving them one last smile the merman swam off into the depth.

“I can’t believe I thought he was a sailor,” Sasha whined.

Sergei and Evgeni rolled their eyes in unison.

“I hope he was the last transforming thing we come across because we’re out of scarfs now.” Sergei said and then addressed Evgeni, “So what now? Do you want to head over to the Kizhi Pogost? It’s about fives minutes away and since you said Popova was a fan of irony a magical fortress near a famous church does seem pretty ironic to me.”

Before he could agree with the suggestion Sasha interrupted. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” he said and pointed over Evgeni and Sergei’s shoulders.

The two men turned around were struck by the sight of a massive onion domed wooden tower on a island sitting in the widest part of the Lake Onega. The architectural phenomenon looked otherworldly as it was surrounded by the dispersing mist and the sun shined through the tall cupolas in cracks of light.

They had found Vasilisa Popova’s hidden tower. And soon Sid would be safe with Evgeni again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed my lack of subtlety when hinting at the true natures of the OCs in these miniature magical trials. Also I apologise for making even more OCs, this fic is such an indulgence for me. The next chapter is going to be the end of all the adventuring, but I am planning on an epilogue. 
> 
> Up next: Reunited and it feels so good. How many old women can one story have? Questions are answered.


	8. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is - the last chapter of the story! I will be doing an epilogue but holy moly we’re almost there!

_2nd May 2012_

Evgeni paced up and down the short strip of ground in front of the building’s back entrance. Both him and Sergei had been waiting on Sasha to return with Sid for over twenty minutes and judging from the size of Popova’s fortress he could still take another thirty minutes at least.

“For God’s sake sit down, you’re making me nauseous,” Sergei said from his position on the  steps leading up to the massive dark wooden doors. His relaxed body language failed to hide the sharpness of his aura, showing he too was anxious about how long Sasha was taking.

Evgeni crossed his arms defensively. “No. I should have just taken that stupid key from Sasha, I would have found Sid by now. I don’t see why Granny gave it to him and not me.”

“Well Granny has known him much longer than you, so she must trust him more. And it’s tied to his blood or his soul or something, so it wouldn’t have worked for you anyway. Without your own special key there’s no way you’re getting past the building’s wards,” Sergei explained patiently for the fifth time. “I’m pretty sure not even the power of love could overcome that sort of magic.”

“What? Who said anything about love?” He asked confused. But Sergei just gave him a look like he wasn’t buying it. Evgeni really hoped he wasn’t that transparent.

“Even Alex can tell. He actually asked me if you and Sid were secretly married before the whole existence erasing thing,” Sergei shrugged, “Which is a silly question since that is still illegal in Pittsburgh despite Alex’s tales of Granny’s secret puppeteering behind the political curtain.”

The last comment was enough to draw his attention away from the previous awkward topic. “Granny’s in politics? Like normal human politics and not just the magical community?”

Sergei scratch at his stubbily chin. “You’ll have to ask Alex for the details but from what I heard she’s got some real solid connections in North America’s governments. She’s laying down the foundations for some pretty drastic changes - like marriage equality.”

Evgeni was heartened to hear the Granny was working towards a more progressive government in America, it was his second home after all. He couldn’t help but once again feel lucky that he was on Granny’s side since she seemed so interested in world domination.

He wondered what life would be like with the western world under the control of a lesbian witch. It sounded like every radical conservative's worst nightmare.

Sergei laughed when he shared this thought. “I absolutely believe that Granny can do it, she just has that type of character about her…” Sergei trailed off.

Before Evgeni could agree the building’s doors flew open and an old woman strode towards them. Her threatening demeanor almost caused him to miss the other pale young woman that followed quickly behind. Neither had visible auras.

Sergei jumped up from his seat and ran over the Evgeni’s side to stand parallel to the fearse strangers.

“You are intruding. I need to ask you both to leave immediately before you are removed by force,” the older woman said in an even tone that promised swift retribution if they disobeyed her orders. Everything about her screamed authority, she even managed to remain intimidating while wearing traditional Russian dress.

This had to be the infamous Vasilisa Popova.

Despite the incredible threat the woman posed Evgeni couldn’t control his temper as he shouted back, “We will leave as soon as you give us Sid!”

The younger woman’s face screwed up in offence. “How dare you speak to Ms Popova so rudely. You need to leave right now. No one under the name of ‘Sid’ is in this building.”

“You have him, Granny told me you do,” Evgeni spat, immediately rejecting her lies. He pointed at Popova, “You have Sidney Crosby and you used your powers to kidnap him, I remember everything.”

Popova’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at his claim.

As if to prove him right a ruffled Sasha and Sid appeared at the doorway.

Everything fell away at the sight of Sid and his familiar silver aura. When their eyes locked Evgeni whispered dazedly, “Sidney.”

Sid’s face broke out into a massive toothy smile as he realised Evgeni could still remember him. Ignoring their gawking audience they ran into each other's arms as if they had scored in overtime. Both of them laughed as Evgeni swung Sid around in joy.

“Geno!” Sid yelled as he hugged him back just as hard. “You remember me?”

Evgeni stepped back slightly so he could lay his large hands on either side of Sid’s face, practically engulfing his head. “Of course,” he said resolutely, as if they had never been any doubt.

“While this is very sweet you are still trespassing,” the young woman interrupted.

When Evgeni looked over Sid shoulder, prepared to tell her to back off, he was struck by how clear her aqua aura was when only moments ago it had been completely invisible. Since she was obviously still untrustful of Evgeni and his friends the only other explanation was that Sid’s ability was affecting his powers again.

“Don’t be so rude, Zhenya travelled a very long way to see his Sidney,” Sasha said as he sauntered up beside Sergei.

Sasha’s aura was a sharp offensive contrast to the posed defensive formation of Sergei’s midnight aura. Both men looked ready for battle.

“You’re not taking Sidney, it’s too much of a risk,” the pale woman said without acknowledging Sasha.

“Aww Taika I see that you’re still a party pooper,” Sasha chirped at the young woman.

Taika and her aura remained steadfast under Sasha’s probing golden spikes. “If you want to keep your limbs you better pull back your aura,” she said in a no-nonsense tone of voice. For once the Russian captain actually heeded the warning and reluctantly withdrew.

Evgeni on the other hand continued to ignore the dangerous vibes coming off the woman. “You can see auras…” He narrowed his eyes at her, “You were the one who put a tracker on Sid!”

Taika didn’t deny his accusation.

He pulled Sid even closer. “Your tricks won’t work anymore,” and with that statement he reached out and ripped the string tying Sid to Taika apart as if it was made of spider web.

Sid shoulders loosened when he realised what Evgeni had just done.

In contrast Taika hissed as if Evgeni had just spat at her feet. She made to move towards him but was stopped by Popova’s hand on her right shoulder.

“Calm yourself Taika,” the aged women said and then raised her chin at the hockey players, “I commend your loyalty for Mr Crosby but unfortunately you have all undertaken a fool's quest. Your wish to restore Mr Crosby’s karma and take him back to Pittsburgh is impossible-”

“You’re wrong,” Evgeni said through gritted teeth. He looked down at Sid’s pale face and refused to believe this crazy lady’s lies.

Popova tsked and crossed her arms. “Your feelings for Mr Crosby are blinding you to the dangers of letting an untrained Resonate wander freely around without proper protection and guidance.”

“I do have that though - I mean - protection and guidance,” Sidney said, “Granny will help me. And unlike you she won't keep me prisoner.” 

“I’ve told you before, this school is not keeping you in, rather it is keeping the worst threats _out_. And you are wrong to think Maya will treat you any differently if you commit yourself fully to her and her impossible cause. You will still not have time for frivolities like hockey or romance,” Popova rebutted.

“You’re lying,” Sasha said evenly, catching everyone's attention. “She would never force Sidney to give up his entire life like that, she actually lets people have freedom and opportunities outside of her magical community.”

Popova pursed her lips at being called out for her lies once again.

“You’re also wrong about her goals being impossible,” Sasha continued, “She has done so much work into modernising the magical community in Australia and North America.”

“She is destroying all the traditions I have worked so hard to keep in the minds and hearts of our people,” Popova said hoarsely. She was surprisingly emotional for a woman who seemed apathetic at first glance.

Sasha shook his head. “No. She is helping magic. By allowing herself to adapt she had been able to gain influence over the non-magical government, which has allowed her to get into contact with once hidden magical people and share magical information with so many others.”

This time Taika spoke up, “The individuals she is sharing that information with are non-magical. She’s threatening the secrecy of all the magical communities.”

Evgeni caught a smirk flash across Sasha’s face before he regained his serious disposition, he felt anticipation rise with the knowledge that Taika had somehow fallen into Sasha’s trap.

“She is saving magic. There are too few magical people to uphold the necessary amount of belief to keep magic alive. By teaching non-magical people about magic she is allowing magic to prosper. They don’t need to see to believe like us. Your unwillingness to adapt your traditions and personally interact with the wider magical community is restricting magic’s growth. You are your own worst enemy Popova.”

Taika looked like she had been set adrift as she digested Sasha’s arguments.

Unfortunately Popova merely rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard all of this before, practically on a weekly basis, from Maya. You’re telling me nothing new.” Sasha’s aura deflated at how unaffected Popova was to his passionate speech.

“No matter what you say I refuse to let Mr Crosby go. Maya is not strong enough to create a charm powerful enough to hide him while he trains,” Ms Popova repeated. “Besides my ability only allows me to take karma, I cannot give it back.”

Evgeni felt as if he was on the precipice of either tipping over into uncontrollable anger or a deep well of sadness. Before he could give himself over to his emotions Sid made a heartbreaking noise and pressed all of his weight against him. Evgeni hugged Sid as close as humanly possible. He couldn’t let himself fall into grief yet, comforting Sid was more important.

He threaded his fingers through Sid’s hair and pressed his head into his shoulder. In the background he could hear Sergei swearing and Sasha shouting at the increasingly annoyed Taika and Popova.

“I think that’s enough of that,” sung a whispery voice that reverberated from all around the distraught group. They all twisted and turned their heads in search of the newcomer. Evgeni noticed that out of everyone Popova looked the most worried.

Sergei yelped as a woman appeared right beside him, close enough to touch.

Everything about the stranger was aged, from her patchy clothes, tangled hair, and transparent liver spotted skin. While Popova had aged with grace this new woman seemed twice her age and all the more unfortunate for it. Evgeni uncharitably thought that her decaying wooden left leg matched her crooked long nose in need for repair.

“Have you been telling lies again little V?” She said in a scolding tone. Despite her obvious age and the peg leg the mysterious woman somehow glided over to a rigid Popova.

“No mother,” Popova said in quiet trepidation. The fear and respect painted across her face was even more shocking to Evgeni than Popova’s previous anger.

“Mother?” Whispered Sid into Evgeni’s ear, completely baffled.

As if she had heard Sid’s question the woman’s piercing gaze trailed up and down Evgeni and Sid’s close forms like a physical presence. Goosebumps crept up along both the men’s arms under the woman’s eagle-eyed stare.

Luckily Sasha coughed and drew the frightening woman’s yellow eyes away from him and Sid. After she had gotten her fill of Sasha and Sergei she finally spoke. “I am Baba Yuga.”

Evgeni choked on air.

The most powerful sorceress in Slavic, possibility _world_ , myth ignored Evgeni’s hysterics. “The three men Alexander Ovechkin, Sergei Gonchar, and Evgeni Malkin are under my domain. They all passed the tests of my knights are therefore will receive one request. But since I’m feeling generous I will first answer any questions you have, but be warned that if you ask the wrong ones I will eat you.”

He had absolutely no doubt that she would do just that. In his mind Evgeni tried to think of when he had met Baba Yuga’s White, Red, and Black knights which always heralded the coming of Baba Yuga in fairy tales.

“Alyona or her brother was the White Knight, the firebird Aguya was the Red Knight, and Bubbles was the Black Knight,” Sasha reasoned to Evgeni and Sergei as if it was completely obvious. He had a feeling that Sasha had come to this conclusion well before Buba Yuga’s arrival.

Evgeni, Sasha, and Sergei all tried to telepathically communicate with one another over what questions they should ask. They all knew better than to discuss their opinions out loud.

Eventually Evgeni got to frustrated with their failed attempts at wordlessly communicating and simply indicated for Sergei to speak since he was least likely to offend her to the point she ate them all.

“Our first question is how can we ensure Sid won’t be a threat to the magical and non-magical communities?” Sergei asked in a clear voice, nothing giving away his nervousness at speaking to an all powerful being.

“Hmmm,” Baba Yuga scratched at the patchy white hairs on her pointed chin. “With this of course,” she said reaching down into her sagging bosom and pulling out a tiny square charm.

Without hesitation Sergei walked forward to take the golden charm. “Thank-you,” he said bowing slightly to Baba Yuga before returning to Evgeni’s side and handing over the charm to a bemused Sid.

Sasha’s golden aura swayed in curiosity and before Evgeni could stop him Sasha impulsively asked, “What does the charm do?”

Thankfully Baba Yuga didn’t take offence to Sasha’s lack of formality. “It will hide and contain Sidney Crosby’s abilities from malevolent individuals who would abuse his powers in a manner contrary to Sidney Crosby’s own wishes.”

Evgeni caught Sid’s wince at the creepy way the old witch said his name. Despite the dangerous situation he had to hold back a laugh at Sid’s funny face that was mostly hidden by Evgeni’s chest.

“For our final question…” He went to ask why she decided to help them but instead what came out was: “Why didn’t Popova’s power work on me? Why can I still remember Sid - I mean - Sidney?”

Buba Yuga snorted unattractively. “Because you’re souls are tied of course. In every universe you two will always meet and form a strong connection. In one of my favourite timelines you’re both mortal enemies and completely destroy the world trying to defeat each other - it was lots of fun to watch,” she cackled.

Evgeni ignored the woman’s crazed laughing, instead he let his heart fill with joy at hearing that in all the different parallel worlds every Evgeni would be lucky enough to know a Sidney - even as a superpowered rival.

“There are uncountable benefits for duos like yourselfs, one of which is resisting abilities like my daughter’s that would normally destroy the relationship threads that bind people to one another.” Baba Yuga lips widened into a parody of a smile that showed an unsettling amount of long yellow teeth, “Do you have any other questions?”

The four men shook their heads no, not wanting to tempt fate any more.

“Hmmm,” Baba Yuga hummed again. “Then you should make your request now. However if you all are not worthy of receiving the gift I will tear apart your souls for your insolence.”

That was even worse than being eaten alive. Evgeni fretted over whether he should even ask for something, not when his friends were also in danger of losing their souls as well.

However once again Sasha took charge, headless of the consequences. “Our request is that we want everything to go back to how it was before Popova used her ability on Sidney Crosby. And that all of us here right now will keep all our memories of everything that happened past that point in time.”

The thoroughness of the request caught Evgeni off guard. Sasha knew everything Evgeni wished could happen and actually managed to put it quite eloquently into words. Despite how happy he was about how well Sasha posed the request for Sidney’s karma he was still worried that their souls were not pure enough to be worthy of such a monumental request.

Baba Yuga looked over to Popova, “It would do you well to be on the good side of these ones, my little V, if you ever want to achieve your dreams.”

Popova gratefully nodded at her elders advice and seemed to assess the hockey players in a new light.

The elder witch finally broke the suspense for the men as she addressed them again, “I will complete your request-” She didn’t give them time to celebrate as she finished her sentence in the same echoing voice she had used when she first materialised, “So mote it be.”

One by one Evgeni’s senses quickly shut down, not giving him time to panic. The last thing he felt before his awareness drifted away what the weight of Sid in his arms.

_X_

_29th April 2012_

Evgeni let out a long groan of pain as he lifted his hand to his sweaty forehead in an attempt to stop the steady pulsing ache. His weak attempt for relief was further made futile when he opened his eyes to his spinning bedroom. He decided not to sit up as he laid on the soft cotton sheets and tried to pull his thoughts together.

Why did he have such a massive headache? What day was it? Why did it feel like he shouldn’t be in his home here in Pittsburgh?

He tried to sift through his sluggish memories of the previous night to explain why he was feeling so out of place and confused. Maybe it was just post-playoff depression or something, even if he didn’t feel very sad at the moment. Instead his stomach kept churning in anticipation and guilt, the way it always did when he procrastinated on something important.

Evgeni started to wiggle out from under his comforter, all the while colourfully swearing as panic rose up through his chest.

He mumbled to himself as he climbed out of bed and started to get dressed, “I don’t think I have any final meetings with Pens staff. Maybe it’s a farewell dinner with the team? I don’t remember inviting anyone over. I should just ring Sid and ask him...” He trailed off as his muddled memories finally snapped into place.

“Sid!” Evgeni yelped and flung himself back over to his bed, heedless of the fact his pants were only half on, and began toss his sheets about in search for his phone.

The missing mobile rang out shrilly from underneath his pillow and like a heat seeking missile Evgeni dived for it.

The breathless shout of “Geno!” that greeted him had never sounded sweeter.

“Sid!? You okay? Remember Popova and Russia?” He blurted out, heart pumping a hundred miles an hour.

“I’m fine. I remember everything,” Sid answered. “Are you alright?”

“Fine too. Glad you are okay,” he sighed in relief into the phone. “Where are you? Can you come over?”

“I’m at the gym, I just finished my workout. I’ll be there in twenty,” Sid replied but hesitated to hangup.

Sensing Sid’s conflict Evgeni said in his most sincere voice, “I see you soon Sid, not going anywhere until I know you really okay. I won't let anything happen to you.”

Sid gave a relieved laugh at his protectiveness. “Okay. Thanks G. Bye.”

“Bye Sid,” he said and hung up. He let himself stare at the blank phone for a minute. He really needed to go for a shower, check on Sasha and Sergei, and get started on making breakfast before Sid arrived.

Despite his list of goals Evgeni couldn’t help but click on the internet icon on his phone and type “Sidney Crosby” into the search box. He couldn’t recall a time where he had been so happy to see a media article mentioning the Pen’s recent eviction from the playoffs under their captain Sidney Crosby.

Evgeni dropped his phone back onto his unmade bed and walked off to the bathroom with a spring in his step and a massive smile spread across his face.

_/\\_

Even after showering and confirming that Sasha and Sergei were alright Evgeni still had a persisting headache that was largely due to him crashing from the adrenaline high he’d had the entire time Sid was missing.

He blinked sluggishly at the hissing bacon and tried to concentrate enough so wouldn’t get splashed with hot oil. His inability to focus on more than one thing ensured that he didn’t notice Sid had let himself in with the spare key until he cleared his throat from behind Evgeni.

He jumped in shock and swore at he splashed oil onto the floor, but this was quickly forgotten in the face of Sid’s glowing visage. He looked freshly showered from his workout as his still wet hair curled around his ears and his cheeks were a healthy pink.

“Hey G,” Sid said around his beaming smile and happily stepped into Evgeni’s embrace.

His lanky arms wrapped comfortably around Sid’s back as he allowed himself to slump into Sid’s steady frame. Evgeni rubbed his nose into Sid’s hair and breathed in the scent of expensive shampoo and soap. The smell felt like a promise - that this time he wouldn’t have to let Sid go.

When he reluctantly pulled away he was glad to see Sid’s silver aura swirling in contentment. “Looking good, Sid,” he said with a soft smirk.

The laugh he received for his familiar greeting filled him with pride, it was good to know that even after all the stress his friend had gone through he was still able to laugh.

“I’m feeling good G, now that I’m back,” Sid said and took a seat on one of the tall chairs at his kitchen island. “Did you check the date?”

Evgeni grunted in confirmation and moved back over to the now partially burnt bacon. “Baba Yuga took Sasha literally and time travelled us. Also saw that you back to being famous.”

“Oh well that’s good,” Sid said noncommittally. “I mean it would have been a media circus if I had suddenly reappeared after being missing for a few days...”

He finished plating up the bacon in front of Sid and zoned in on his sulking aura, “Why you sad then if such good thing?”

Sid groaned, “Urgh you can’t just read my aura like that, it’s so unfair.” Evgeni ignored the usual complaint and waited patiently for him to start explaining. “It's just that I met some pretty amazing kids at Ms Popova’s Safe House and now they won't remember me.”

He stifled a laugh, because of _course_ Sid made friends with a bunch of random children even while he was kidnapped and in distress. He moved to sit by Sid and started to shovel eggs onto his plate while he answered, “Mention it to Granny, she can help.”

“Yeah maybe she can get Ms Popova to let me visit now that Baba Yuga told her she should be our ally. Plus I still need to keep my training up, I really think that this whole Resonate ability won't be such a liability if I put in the hard work and dedicate myself to the training regiment Ms Popova set up for me.”

Evgeni frowned harshly. “Why would you want to be near Popova? She’s evil! You have charm and Granny and me, you don’t need her.”

“Not everything is so black and white,” Sid said, pausing in his eating and giving him his strongest Burdened Captain look. “I need Ms Popova’s expertise and resources in order to master my ability. And I hope I won’t be alone since I was wondering if you could come with me, I’ll feel safer with you there since you’re the only one I trust, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to, no pressure or anything.”

It took a moment for Evgeni to fully translate Sid’s flustered rambling. He trusted Evgeni to protect him. Sid wanted to go to Russia with him. Pure happiness shot through his body as Evgeni reached out and pulled Sid in close to give him an ecstatic kiss on his slick lips.

He immediately started to plan. “We talk to Granny first and get her to order Popova to be nice and let us visit. I’m call parents and tell them everything, and maybe you can come for small break to Magnitogorsk to see home. Show you all good Russian places and that it not all bad. And since I’m coming we can also do hockey training, not just magic! Can’t wait to meet your little friends too-” He cut himself off when he realised Sid was sitting frozen.

“What wrong? You change mind,” he asked, heart sinking. “We don’t have to visit Mama and Papa if not want, can just be bodygard.”

Sid shook himself out of his trance. “What? No! Of course I want to see your home in Russia and meet your parents again. I just- Geno you kissed me!” He said gesturing wildly at him.

He gaped at Sid, “Wha- No I didn’t!” He denied but quickly realised that yeah he actually did. Evgeni hunched down in his seat and tried not to die as he felt blood rush to his cheeks. “Oh…”

Seeing his reaction Sid bit at bottom lip distractedly and hesitantly asked, “Was it just a celebration kiss, like the ones the guys sometimes do during cellys.”

Evgeni shifted in his seat and debated over whether he should just confess everything despite all the risk. It was almost like telling Sid he had magic all over again. But judging by the swaying and swirling silver aura it was probably best to tell the truth.

“Sid…” He paused and decided to just say it as quick as possible, “It not celebration kiss, not really, I’m very happy but it also more, like partner kiss, er, I mean, no, like love- I mean- shit,” he sighed - he hadn’t meant to admit that much. Shamefully his brought his hands to his face and tried to hide from Sid’s reaction.

“Geno,” Sid breathed and began to tug at Evgeni’s hands until he was forced to look at him. “Geno,” he repeated, this time his voice cracking as his eyes crinkled in happiness, “You mean it?”

Completely spellbound by Sid overflowing aura and gentle smile he could only nod.

Sid’s eyes were swimming with delight as he fully shoved Evgeni’s hands out of the way and this time he was to one to pull them into a deep kiss.

Evgeni melted into Sid’s firm grip and gladly threaded his hands through dark hair, causing Sid to moan and tilt his head even closer. Blissfully Evgeni let his tongue trace the smooth line of Sid’s full lips, tasting the lingering grease of their breakfast.

Suddenly Sid started to laugh against his mouth. Evgeni grunted in frustration as their teeth clicked painfully together.

Sid pulled back still smiling dopily. “Sorry but I just hope you know that this mean I love you too,” he rasped into Evgeni’s panting mouth and let himself be pulled in again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so gosh darn fluffy, but it only gets even more cheesy in the next chapter so be warned. Forgive me, I am weak to happy endings.
> 
> Up next: Time skip to an anniversary dinner and a surprise announcement.


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some fluff to help cope with all the discourse exploding across the Pen's fanbase right now.

_June 16th 2017_

“Stop it,” Sid giggled as he tried to dance away from Evgeni’s wiggling fingers. “I’m trying to cook, go do something useful before someone gets burnt.”

Evgeni grinned and looked for another opening in Sid’s solid defensive formation in front of the BBQ. “Am doing something useful, tickling keeps reflexes alert so you not have to retire before we threepeat next year.”

A spatula waved threateningly in his direction. “I know you’re joking but I really think we can do it,” Sid said, eyes full of determination and plans for the future.

While Sid was distracted by his Stanley Cup day dreams Evgeni made his attack. With brutal efficiency he wrapped Sid in his arms like a straight jacket and blews a massive raspberry on his vulnerable neck.

Sid gave a delightful squeak and started to wiggle with vehement, putting all his past experience of wrestling his teammates into trying to free himself from his husband’s unyielding hug.

Evgeni went down laughing and gleefully pulled Sid alone for the ride. This of course was swiftly regretted when all 200 pounds of pure Canadian muscle landed on his stomach.

“Oi! Stop flirting you two, you’re making all us look bad in front of our spouses,” yelled Tanger from across their yard.

“Yeah how come we never have tickle fights any more?” Asked Flower pouting at Tanger, “Don’t you love me anymore baby?”

Catherine and Vero laughed at their husband's playful flirting.

Evgeni reluctantly untangled his legs from Sid’s and let his husband climb back onto his feet. He knew all was forgiven as Sid offered him a hand to help him back up. Once he was upright again he leaned down so Sid could comb his fingers through Evgeni’s mused hair to make it presentable again. Just to be a menace he took the opportunity to ruffle up Sid’s hair even more so his curls would spring free from that awful styling gel.

“Perhaps you should stop bothering your husband before he does bodily harm,” advised Popova from a nearby chair. From beside her Granny merely watched on with an all knowing grin while her royal purple aura wiggled in fondness.

“Hmm maybe,” his drawled and winked at an unamused Sid before deciding it would probably be best to follow the woman’s advice. He was sure that Sid would exact his revenge at a later date - he was looking forward to it.

He dragged a spare seat over and joined Popova and Granny in the nice sunny spot they had chosen for themselves. “Having fun? Must be pretty boring compared to running world,” he chirped.

Popova rolled her eyes at his good humored teasing, but Evgeni knew that she secretly liked his informal attitude as her baby blue aura swayed outwards. She seemed to view it as a sign he had forgiven her for the Kidnapping Fiasco of 2012. As Sid’s magical mentor and Granny’s wife it had been inevitable that he would eventually come to trust her despite bad first impressions.

“It’s very lovely,” replied Granny, ignoring her wife's scowl. “Not as grand as last year but I quite like the peace and quiet.”

Just as she said this a massive cheer went up as his teammates egged on Schultz to down another beer. He had no idea how the defenceman was able to drink like that when he had been completely wasted after the parade only a couple days ago. It seemed like the kids were also in on it as Zee, OG, and Grace jumped up and down in support, headless of Sebastian's demands for them to keep away from the drunken revelry.

He turned his attention back to the old women. “Well last year was wedding and we won Cup after so long, of course it big and exciting. Sid and I decide long ago to only have small anniversary party even if we win Cup again.”

“And everything has been going fine for the two of you now you’re out to the world as a couple?” Asked Popova with a suspicious amount of interest.

“Yes yes, you ask this already few months ago,” Evgeni said shrugging, “All thanks to you and Granny being such good secret world dictators we not get hassled too much, everyone too scared to be homophobic with you in charge. Lots of support so Sid’s happy.”

Popova raised an eyebrow, “We try not to rule with fear Zhenya, historically it has been a terrible idea. It’s better to destroy the hatred of minorities with education and safe exposure to diverse individuals. Such ignorance has no place in a modernising world such as ours.”

“Okay Ms Popova,” he said, knowing from experience that he should just agree with her so she didn’t get started on one of her long winded lectures.

“She does realise you’re just agreeing to shut her up,” Granny told him and then patted Popova’s hand and cooed at her, “Don’t worry dear I’ve already located a few people here who could use some educating.” She pulled her wife up and dragged her off with a skip in her step that was very strange for a woman in her mid-seventies.

“See you later!” He called out after them.

Evgeni looked around for anything that needed his attention. Since Sid was still working contently away at the grill he instead chose to wander over to the circle of chatting Russians.

“My boy,” Mama greeted him with a hug before he was passed onto Papa for even more affection.

“Where’s my hug?” Whined Sasha.

He chuckled and pulled him into a friendly hug, patting his back firmly, and then turned to give Sergei one as well for good measure.

“Are you all having a good time?” He asked in Russian.

“Of course, you and Sid are doing wonderfully,” said Mama warmly, her dark golden aura puffed out in paternal pride.

Sasha pursed his lips, “Hmmm I don’t know, everyone is far too happy for such a tragic season.”

Evgeni tsked. “Isn’t it always a tragic season for the Capitals with such a drama queen as their captain?” he said rhetorically and then wheezed from Sergei’s sharp elbow embedding in his bruised side.

“Be nice,” he said, causing Sasha’s aura to briefly grow smug before Sergei turned on him too, “No spoiling Zhenya’s anniversary with hockey talk.”  

“Does that mean Sidney needs to be gagged?” Asked Sasha with curious wide eyes.

“Not in front of Ms Malkin,” Sergei said motioning towards Mama.

Mama only snorted in a very unlady-like fashion. “Don’t worry it’s nothing I haven’t heard before, I’ve been around ice rinks and young boys long enough to hear a few… unfortunate things,” she said vaguely.

Evgeni looked anywhere other than the snickering group and hoped for a distraction so wouldn’t have to think about the incriminating things Mama has caught coming out of any of the locker rooms he’d been in.

His wandering eye caught Sid waving him over, signalling that the meat was ready to eat. The perfect diversion.

“Foods ready!” He announced in a booming voice and revealed in the chaos of a bunch of hungry athletes shoving at each other to get first pick of the steaks. Evgeni was happy to wait, his husband would save the best for him.

_/\\_

Rowdy conversations in English, French and Russian flowed from the long table in the lit up patio area. Evgeni basked in all the mixing auras of his friends and family, feeling content with his full stomach and the good company.

Sid leaned further into his side, almost halfway in Evgeni’s lap. He watched entranced by the swirling silver that hovered over the lines that crinkled in the corner of Sid’s eyes as he laughed at his sister's joke about the prowess of goalies.

It felt like that every time he looked at Sid he felt more and more infatuated with him. He wondered if one day Sid would kiss him and Evgeni would just burst from love.

When Sid caught his adoring gaze his cheeks and eyes grew dark. “Oh hello. Is there something you want?” He asked with a crooked grin.

“Only you, forever and always,” he answered in a deep voice.

Unable to hold back his giggles Sid planted his head into the curve of Evgeni’s neck. “You’re such a sap,” he muttered giddily and softly kissed the bottom of his jaw.

“Only for you,” he replied, basking in Sid’s attention. Normally Sid was more reluctant to make overt romantic gestures in public, but here surrounded by the people they trusted most they could be themselves and share their love freely.

“I want to tell them,” Sid said quietly as he met Evgeni’s eyes again.

Seeing the resolution painted on Sid’s face he didn’t even bother asking if he was sure. “Okay, I follow your lead,” he said squeezed Sid’s hand in support.

Sid drew a shuddery breath and stood, still holding Evgeni’s hand like a lifeline. He cleared his throat, but the noise was swallowed up by the loud chattering of their guests.

Evgeni brought two fingers to his lips and blew a shrill whistle, finally causing everyone to quieten. “Have announcement!” He shouted and then gestured to Sid.

Sid’s shoulders relaxed under the familiar feeling of being stared at by a bunch of people. “I want to thank everyone for coming tonight, even though I’m sure some of you would rather be on vacation or are busy being politicians-”

“Go Ms Popova and Granny!” Grace yelled causing a few laughs.

When everyone had calmed down Sid continued, “Tonight was mainly about commemorating our first year of marriage-”

Once again Sid was interrupted with clapping and a few wolf whistles, which they both took with grace and stifled grins.

“This night is also for my team, who managed to pull together despite so many injuries for an amazing win this season for the Stanley Cup-” Sid let the team cheer and holler for a moment, “But Geno and I also have some more good news that we would like to share. Many years ago we decided that we were it for each other - that we wanted everything together: a home, marriage, the Cup, and children. And tonight we’re happy to say we’re completing this final promise. We have decided to adopt.”

This time the table shook with how loud everyone was clapping and offering their support. Evgeni was surprised he didn’t wash away in all the joyful auras. He and Sid beamed at everyone's enthusiasm.

“What’s the kid’s name?” Called out Tanger.

“His name-” Sid stopped to allow everyone to get quite in anticipation for new information, “His name is Petya. He’s Russian and five years old. We will be picking him up this summer.”

Evgeni let Sid take the rest of the questions as he saw Granny motion him over. He kissed Sid quickly on the cheek and walked over to the woman, all the while receiving pats and offers of congratulations.  

“I’m glad you have finally gone through with the adoption Zhenya, I was worried it would never happen,” said Granny as he squatted down beside her and Popova’s chairs.

“Thanks Granny, couldn’t have done it without the laws you and Ms Popova put through in Russia and here.”

“I may have hurried them through in the hopes it would encourage you and Sidney to go about getting Petya,” she admitted and tapped the side of her nose like she was sharing a secret.

“This is all classified information, so no discussing this with anyone but Sidney,” warned Popova. Oh so it was a secret then.

“Now I wanted to give you a little gift,” said Granny as she reached up her right sleeve and pulled out a tiny pair of bright yellow knitted socks. “I’ve been saving these for years, so it’s good that they’re now going to get some use.”

Evgeni reached out to pluck up the adorable little socks. A thought suddenly occurred to him so he asked Granny, “Wait Sid said when you first met you ranted at him about baby. You knew for that long?”

Granny only shrugged, “Maybe.”

To test out his theory he stood up and waved the booties over at Sid’s direction. Judging by the look of recognition on Sid’s face the present was familiar to him.

Chuckling at his husband’s reaction he leaned over near Granny again and thanked her.

“My pleasure,” she said smugly and then reached up her other sleeve to pull out an even tinier pair of purple mittens. “I’ll keep these ones for later,” she said and winked.

“Ah, um, yeah,” he stuttered and straightened out to look at Sid again, who had migrated back into the yard and was talking about their son to the crowded guests. His husband’s aura stood out amongst the rainbow of colours that danced around him, his ability illuminating them all to shine more brightly than they ever could alone.

Evgeni couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have a future, and soon a family, with such a wonderful man. “Yeah, keep them for later.”

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's it folks. It was lots of fun to write something this big for the first time ever.  
> Thanks for reading! Please leave kudos and comment if you enjoyed it :)


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